


Slowly Getting Over You

by rise_fall_rage_and_repeat



Series: Brooklyn/Leo [1]
Category: Gargoyles (TV), TMNT (2003), referenced TMNT (2007)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Heartbreak, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Violence, multifandom - Freeform, past relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-15 13:46:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 67,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3449369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rise_fall_rage_and_repeat/pseuds/rise_fall_rage_and_repeat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a heavy betrayal on his heart by his brother, Leo leaves home to seek solitude and ends up becoming entwined in a series of events he never could have dreamed of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> This was a random crossover idea I had with the two shows I grew up on (Gargoyles and TMNT) while I was in the shower (not even kidding). It's taken me a while to file enough thoughts down on paper to get a good enough start on the story that I feel comfortable posting a little at a time. I'm also pairing this with the 100 Themes TMNT challenge over on DeviantArt (http://100tc-tmnt.deviantart.com/). I'm hoping this will give me the larger push I need to keep the juices flowing and keep from getting writers block (again). So here we go! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a flash-back Leo is having in a dream. I’m telling it in first person point of view to make it more personal and, yes, extremely heart-wrenching. I was even having trouble writing this prelude.

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money being made.  
Word Count: 572  
Rating PG-13 (later chapters to be R and NC-17)  
Warnings: brother loving brother in a not-so-brotherly way  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: ending Raph/Leo; Colton/Raph

 

_“Leo, please try to understand… It’s not that I-”_

_“Raph, it’s okay.” I lamented, placing a hand on his brawny shoulder as he dipped his head low, knowing it was the last time I would feel it this way ever again. “I understand. Sometimes you just can’t help these things from happening. I-” I stopped my next sentence as my voice threatened to choke._

_“But it ain’t fair ta ya…” The truth and sorrow behind his words drove the knife deeper into my once mended heart._

_“I’m not going to pretend it is,” Raph flinched at the statement. “But it would be even more so for me to keep holding you back when it’s not what you want.” My heart ached as the tears rolled down his face, my own threatening to fall in their wake.  
“But what about you?!” I smiled my lip quivering as I forced him to look up at me._

_“I’ll manage. I always have. It would be worse for me to watch you hurt for my selfish needs then it is for me to let you go.” My voice betrayed me at the last moment, finally cracking at the realization that this was, in fact, reality and not just another one of the nightmares I’d had so often for the past five years that Raph had sworn every time would never come true._

_“I’m sorry…” I bit my lip as Raph pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me for the fifth time that night. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” he repeated over and over again into my ear as cold, salty tears fell on my shoulder._

_My breath was ragged as I forced my emotions down and held Raph as tight as I could. Under any other circumstances, I think he would have snapped at me for holding him so tight, but he was holding me with no less abandon and part of me wondered if he was maybe changing his mind. My heart swelled at the thought, but exploded when I saw Colton rounding the corner. I’d never hated the man, even after I learned he had a crush on Raph, but suddenly I found myself despising the very ground that brought him around the corner to face us._

_My grip reluctantly released as Raph pulled back, quickly dashing the tears away from his eyes. Clearing my throat, I managed to smile at him, earning a lopsided, albeit forced, grin back._

_“Our relationship was flawed from the start and we both knew it. It was only a matter of time before it fell apart.” I tried to reason, more with myself then with Raph. “I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make you happy forever.”_

_“But you did… You really did and you still would if I hadn’t-”_

_“It’s just water under the bridge Raphie, I’ll be fine.” Though now I was wishing that the water was high enough to keep the bridge from burning. “Please don’t worry about me. We had a good run, but… It’s time to end it…” Raph nodded, making my heart skip a beat when he pulled me closer, dipping his head towards mine._

_I allowed my hands to grip his shoulders as he kissed me for the last time; what remained of my heart shattering as he pulled back and walked away, leaving me alone with the regret of not fighting for him, and ending the intro to a long and painful journey._


	2. Leaving

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money being made.  
Word Count: 1,818  
Rating PG-13 (later chapters to be R and NC-17)  
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos and references to sex  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: past-tense Raph/Leo; Colton/Raph; Donnie/Mike

 

Leo gasped as he shot up in bed, his cheeks soaked from unconsciously shed tears. He pulled his knees up into his chest, whimpering as he attempted to force his emotions back down.

Six months. That’s how long he’d been suffering with his own guilt. Six months. That’s how long he’d pretended not to notice when Colton grabbed Raph’s hand, wrapped his arms around Raph’s waist… Stole a kiss…

 

_He gave me his first kiss though, you bastard. He gave me his virgin-_

 

Leo shook his head, ashamed of himself for exploiting his brother’s actions years ago for his own personal gain now. They’d had a good run and it had made both of them happier; brought them closer together. But that was over now and he needed to realize it and move on.

Leo thought he had moved on; thought he had allowed himself enough time to forget. But at night his steel will betrayed him as his mind was allowed to creep back to memories of the past, some good, some bad and push him right back to where he started from. Some nights he would wake up in tears, having to work so hard to get himself under control that sleep would no longer be an option for the twenty-three year old turtle. Other nights, which were far more embarrassing, he would wake up from a rather erotic dream, damning himself all the way to a cold shower, refusing to give in to his body’s urges and ridiculous needs. This also allowed no sleep to follow and Leo was forced to wallow in painful feelings for the rest of the night.

But tonight was different. Tonight he just couldn’t force the feelings down and he could feel them starting to win.

Suddenly an all too familiar sound wafted in through the crack in his door; Raph’s moan, or, to be more specific; Raph moaning Colton’s name. Leo clamped his hands over his ears as the noises got louder. He knew Raph didn’t give a damn if anyone heard them anymore, but come on! It was like he was _trying_ to broad cast it to the lair. Leo tried to drown out the sound of his brother and Colton’s love making for as long as he could bear it, but soon it became apparent that it wasn’t only Raph and Colton. Leo growled in frustration as Donnie’s lustful moans wafted in the room, mixing with Raph’s and he had finally had enough. He didn’t resent Donnie or Mikey for their relationship, he was glad they were happy, but soon the realization that he was the only single person in their small family anymore proved to be more than he could bear and he made the choice he had been putting off for months; he was leaving. No, Leo wasn’t such a prude that he was going to leave forever, he just needed a little time to himself to sort things out a little without the distraction of any of his brother’s love making drowning his thoughts.

With a swift snap of his wrist, Leo removed the blankets from his body. The cold November air engulfed him with a shiver as he moved to his closet, removing his shell and pulling on a pair of gray boxers as well as shoving his head into a matching tank top. Sighing, Leo pulled out a backpack, flinging it back onto his bed before slipping into a pair of black leather pants. He hadn’t realized how little he had been eating recently until he buttoned and zipped the pants over his waist, revealing a two inch gap between his side and the rim of the pants. Letting out a huff he rummaged around for the belt he hadn’t used in years before slipping it through the loops and fastening it around his front.

Leo was glad when the moans and cries of pleasure finally dwindled as he pulled on a pair of black combat boots, lacing them as tight as they would go and pulling on a pair of leather gloves before picking up the backpack and collecting a few things from his room.

After slipping all of his gear and weapons into the bag and tying his mask into place, he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He grinned, but his heart sank when he remembered how Raph and Mikey had tried their hardest to teach him how to cook without destroying anything and just couldn’t manage it. He’d set the toaster on fire more than once, Donnie finally calling an end to their lessons, laughing even as he did so. Those were happier times that he wished could be regained, but Leo knew deep in his heart that happy moments like that would never be the same even if they did manage to make their way into his life again.

After taking out last night’s left overs, making a few sandwiches (the _only_ thing he can make in the kitchen), writing a note to his family on the white board set on the fridge and grabbing anything else he thought he would need from the fridge, pantry and cupboards, Leo heard the door swing open and someone step into the room.

“Leo, what are you doing?” Leo’s hands slapped down on the table, his face twisting into a grimace as the voice entered his ears.

“Colton. Glad you’re here, I’m in need of something to punch right now.” Leo hissed dryly, continuing the ministrations on his bag, fitting everything in a neat sort of jigsaw puzzle design.

Colton sighed, taking a few steps closer to the, obviously, pissed turtle. “Leo you’re not leaving are you?”

Leo snorted. “Oh no, I’m just packing a bag full of food for kicks.” He snapped, finally turning to face the man behind him. He frowned that Colton was clad only in his black boxers. He didn’t even have the decency to cover up with a shirt at _least_.

“Where the hell do you plan on going?”

“Anywhere but here.”

Colton rubbed the bridge of his nose, groaning inwardly. “Leo, you’ve _got_ to get over this! It’s been six-”

“You think I want to feel like shit all the time?!” Leo practically shouted. “For six months, I have been turning the other cheek when I see you two together! I, can’t, do, it, anymore! Plus it doesn’t help when you two refuse to be quiet during your late-night ‘excursions’.” Leo quoted, turning on his heel as Colton blushed furiously.

“Leo, I- You gotta understand that I never intended-”

“You never intended what?” Leo hissed, stalking towards the taller male, backing him into the wall behind him. “You never intended to steal Raph? Never intended to destroy me entirely? Well, let me tell you something, you did and you did it in the hardest way possible! Now I’ve never actually _despised_ anyone before, not even Shredder or Karai, but you, Colton, are the _epitome_ of my despise. And I know it’s irrational and extremely childish, but sometimes I really want to slam your face into the concrete.” Colton swallowed uneasily at Leo’s hard stare. Even when pissed beyond belief, Leo still managed to force a smile to his face.

“But… Raph said you told him-”

“What? That I told him I would be fine and everything was okay and that I _didn’t_ hate you?” Leo let out a dry chuckle. “Of course I said that! That’s something people say to their loved ones when they know they have to let them go to make their own path and decisions.” Leo sighed, moving back to the table to zip up his bag and leave the room.

“Leo I-” Leo stopped in the door way, holding onto it with his left hand as he looked over his shoulder, still glaring at the human. “I’m so sorry… I- We never meant to hurt you.”

Leo let out another sigh of understanding. “Yeah… Raph didn’t. But you sure as hell did.”

Colton grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

Leo nodded. “Me too.” Colton watched as Leo exited the room, following him out to see the oldest turtle wipe tears away from his eyes as he ascended the stairs once more, heading for the elevator that lead to the garage.

Leo slammed his fist into the wall as the doors closed behind him. Six months; he had finally broken. Six months; he’d finally told Colton what he thought of him. Six months; he was leaving his family over something stupid. He sighed as the elevators opened once more into the garage. Picking up his bag, he walked into the dark room, over to the wall to his left to turn on the lights.

The blue clad turtle let out a breath through his mouth as his set his backpack on the back of his bike, picking up the leather jacket from the seat and shrugging his shoulders into it, zipping it up to his chin before walking over to the back wall. Leo grabbed a set of keys off a rack on the wall and his helmet. Walking back over to his bike, Leo let out another depressed sigh as his fingers wandered over the smooth leather of the seat. He remembered when Raph had first taught him how to ride one, practically forcing it on him as he took him to an old abandoned barn. After driving the bike himself, Leo had found the experience exhilarating, finally understanding Raph’s obsession with it. Then, that November for his birthday, Raph and Donnie had spent many a red-eye night staying up to make this bike for him. He’d just about died when the two had pulled back the curtain revealing the damn thing.

Leo’s lips turned up slightly as he swung his leg over the bike, feeling the familiar power behind it, even while it stood still. He strapped the backpack on his back before getting to work on starting the bike.

Looking down, he flipped the switch of the petcock on, laughing to himself as he remembered his first reaction to its name. Next, he pulled the choke knob out before sliding the key into the ignition and turning it forward. He grinned again as he flipped the kill switch to on, remembering his frustration the first time when the damn bike wouldn’t turn on.

Before Leo had quite gotten to kick starting the bike, the elevator doors opened again, making him jump.

“Leo, what’re ya doin’?” Raph’s sleepy voice asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawning. Leo bit his lip, kick starting the bike and opening the garage door. Raph’s eyes widened as he realized what Leo was doing. “Leo wait! Where are you-?”

 

_I’m sorry Raph… I just can’t do this…_

 

Leo thought to himself before flying out of the garage, the rumbling of the street below the bike drowning out Raph’s frantic yells after him.


	3. Eavesdropping

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,236  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: past-tense Raph/Leo; Colton/Raph; Broadway/Angela

 

The tires of the bike squealed as Leo pushed far past the speed limit along the bridge. The cold wind nipped at his exposed fingers and even underneath the gloves covering the rest of his hands. The leather of his clothing groaned in protest as he shifted further forward on the bike, punching the throttle even harder and shooting off the bridge onto the deserted streets of Manhattan Island. He and his family lived just outside of Manhattan, so it proved to be a good place to run, just in case he needed to go home for any reason.

On the bike, Leo felt free. The movement of the powerful machine beneath him allowed his mind to finally relax and let go of all his worries. Leo popped his visor and the feeling of the cold wind blow around his face made him smile. He took in a deep breath of the crisp night air, chuckling when it gave him a brain-freeze.

Loud gun shots drew his attention, making him turn his head to the side. Taking a sharp turn to the right, Leo idled around a large warehouse, trying to find a place to hide his bike.

Once the bike was hidden, Leo quickly crept around to a window to look inside, keeping his helmet on incase he needed to make a fast getaway. Crouching low, he looked inside the building to find several targets set up, along with several men with firearms practicing.

_They’re just target practicing. Not very legally, but they don’t really pose a threat-_

“Alright men, let’s switch to the hammers.” A British accent ordered from an area Leo couldn’t quite see.

_I know that voice..._

Halting his movements, Leo turned back to the window. All the men were now moving around, setting down their guns in favor of very large, seemingly very heavy hammers.

_Quarrymen?! Shouldn’t they all still be in jail?_

Leo moved closer, finally pulling his helmet off to hear better.

“As all of you well know, the world now believes that the gargoyles are all on our side and are not a threat to the do-gooders of the population.”

_Like you guys aren’t a threat..._

“But we know better don’t we?” The group let out a collective shout, all thrusting their hammers up into the air. “And I assure you; we will not let them roam free to harm any innocents, good or bad!”

_Damn Castaway’s a piece of work. No wonder he was locked up…_

Leo gulped when every hammer in the room powered up, sending sparks flying when the men hit and banged them against anything near enough for the heads to reach.

_I would hate to be a gargoyle if I had to fight men with those things…_

He thought, ducking low when one of the men looked his way.

“Sir, I think someone’s watching us.”

_Goddammit!_

Leo hissed, quickly slinking away back to his bike.

“Well what are you waiting for? Go check it out!”

“Yessir!”

Leo quickly kick started the bike, pulling his helmet on before taking off back down the street.

“Goddammit those guys seem like they mean business! I really don’t want to get mixed up in anything that involves them.” Leo said to himself, sliding into an alley before pulling out his shell cell and calling the closest police station to report the group’s whereabouts.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raph stormed down the hall, growling out profanity after profanity under his breath. He slammed his hand against the door of his room as he walked through the threshold. Letting out an agitated sigh, he fell back onto his bed as Colton leaned against the doorframe.

“What’d he say ta ya?” Raph asked, rubbing the bridge of his snout.

“Pretty much that he was really pissed at you and that I, and I quote, ‘Am the _epitome_ of his despise’. So basically nothing either one of us doesn’t deserve.”

Raph bit his lip, covering his face with his hands. “God... Honestly I’m surprised he suppressed it this long...” Colton could not deny the admiration in Raph’s desperate tone. “Did he say where he was goin’?”

“Anywhere but here...”

“Figured as much...”

“Raph,” Colton sighed, waking over to the bed and lying next to the terrapin. “Neither of us intended for this-”

“Shut-up.” Raph groaned, sitting up and crossing his legs. “It don’t matter that we didn’t _intend_ fer any of this ta happen, what matters is it _did_... I’m sure a few years ago, I would have just told him to suck it up and deal with it... That he should have seen it comin’ when he learned about yer crush but... Both of you _changed_ somethin’ in me... I’m not the person I was back then, and yeah, part of me still thinks he’s overreactin’, but another part of me thinks that he was maybe _under reactin’_ for a _long_ time...” Colton bit his lip taking Raph’s hand in his as he propped himself up on his elbow.

“You still have feelings for him, don’t you?”

“Well yeah, he’s my brother...”

“You know that I mean.” Raph sighed, allowing himself to be led back down onto Colton’s chest.

“Of course I do... Sometimes I have to wonder why I ever left him at all... No offense...”

Colton chuckled lightly. “None taken.”

“But I wouldn’t change my decision for the world... I would just try and make it so it was a unanimous decision and that Leo had found someone else as well...”

“He will.” Colton said as reassuringly as he could, allowing Raph to shift so he was on his side.

“Come on Colton, you were like, a once in a lifetime thing! How many people are gonna go for a giant mutant turtle?”

“Raph, you’d be surprised how many guys actually fantasize about similar things. Having a guy like Leo would be a dream for them.”

“What about girls?” Colton frowned. “I was the first guy Leo had ever thought of as attractive in a sexual sense. Leo was honest to God straight before me.”

Colton blinked in surprise. “Really... Damn. I would have figured that Leo would have thought it was ‘disgraceful’ to be with a guy if you were a guy.”

“Babe, don’t even go down that road. That’s not the person Leo was. Sure he was a hard ass at times, Hell, he still _can_ be. But contrary ta popular belief, Leo wasn’t someone who thought of people’s beliefs or actions as ‘disgraceful’, or if he did, he’d never vocalized them... Well, unless it had ta do with Bushido, then there was _lots_ of vocalization.” Raph added as a side note with a chuckle. “But honestly, that wasn’t who he was...”

“You sound uncharacteristically patient right now.” Colton smirked, leaning over the turtle.

Raph quirked a brow, answering with his own smirk. “Are ya insinuatin’ that Leo and I’re switchin’ personalities?” He asked.

“Sure seems like it to me.”

“God I hope yer wrong.”

Colton rolled his eyes, shoving Raph over and crawling on top of him. “I do too.” He affirmed leaning down to plant a kiss on Raph’s lips.

“Ya think Leo’ll be okay?” Raph sighed as Colton moved his attention to his neck.

Colton chuckled. “Hey he’s your brother. You know him better than I do. But if I had to take a guess, I’d say a definite yes.”

“I hope so...”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After he had called the police, Leo moved even farther away from the warehouse to a building everyone in New York knew at this point; the Eyrie Building. He parked his bike in the back alley and quickly climbed up the side of the building. Finding a reasonable perch that wouldn’t take too much energy to keep himself on, Leo looked out towards the warehouse to make sure no one left before the police got there.

A smirk spread across the leader’s face as he watched the police surround the warehouse and escort quarry man after quarry man out the door and into a squad car. When the gargoyles had first been exposed, Leo had been unsure of how to feel about them. He knew that what the news was saying about them being villains couldn’t have been true. If it had been, Leo had no doubt that he and his brothers would have tangled with them at one point or another. However, he still was uncertain of how to feel about these creatures. He and his family had faced many foes, both of this planet and others, but this was something new. Unlike their enemies of the past, these creatures were _not_ genetically modified, they were _not_ human and they _were_ from Earth. That was not a _normal_ occurrence.

After the Quarrymen had been disbanded, and the gargoyles proven to be ‘on humanity’s side’, Leo felt a little more at ease. He felt they could trust these creatures, even create an alliance with them if their paths did eventually cross.

Shifting his weight back onto his heels, Leo prepared to descend the building when he heard voices coming from somewhere above him. Praying that it wasn’t someone turning on a light inside, Leo sunk back further into the window, loving how his choice of black clothing helped to camouflage him into the shadows, and the lack of his shell was an even greater blessing.

It spooked him when something flew straight down from the top of the building at an alarming speed before catching itself and hovering out in the open air. It was one of the gargoyles. He was waiting for someone, and obviously wasn’t very happy about it.

“Will you hurry up?! We don’t have all night!” The gargoyle’s gruff voice hissed, as he turned around. Leo bit his lip, sinking back further against the window until his back was flat against the glass as he took in the creature’s features. This gargoyle’s skin was a brick red sort of colour with pure, white hair that, for some reason, reminded Leo of silver strands of silk. The gargoyle’s mouth was in the shape of a beak and his arms were crossed across his toned chest as his emerald green eyes glared up above him. To say the least, he was a striking looking creature.

“Relax, Brook,” A feminine voice called from above as another gargoyle, this one a light lavender colour with brown hair and eyes, swooped down next to him. “This isn’t going to take us very long. We have some time.” She finished with a shrug.

“How many times have I asked you not to call me that?” The red gargoyle growled, moving away from his companion. “And if you and your boy-toy are gonna be much longer, I’ll just go do it by myself.”

The female gargoyle drew back frowning as she looked the red gargoyle up and down. “Brooklyn, if you’re still upset about what happened earlier-”

The red gargoyle growled deep in his chest. “ _Upset_ doesn’t even _begin_ to cover it! Honestly, right now I hate even _looking_ at the two of you, because all I can see is ‘ _earlier_ ’! Now tell your boy-toy to hurry up, or I’m leaving your sorry asses behind!”

Leo knew the look on the red gargoyle’s face all too well as he watched the other gargoyle glide back up a little ways before she was accompanied back by another, chubbier, blue gargoyle. It was a face he made almost every day; a fake half-smile, sorrow behind his eyes as he forced himself to stay composed. Leo immediately knew why the red gargoyle was so snappy.

“Here we are Brook, what’s the plan?” The chubby one asked as he grasped the female’s hand, his light brown eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

The red gargoyle’s eyes flared at the combination of the name and the gesture between the two. “Look, we’re just going to pick up some intel from Elisa, that’s all. God knows why Goliath made me take the two of you along for the ride. I’d be perfectly capable of doing this on my own.”

“Yeah, well, orders are orders Brook. Ya gotta follow them.” The blue gargoyle said with a shrug.

The red gargoyle’s face contorted into one of pure anger as he poked the chubby one in the chest. “You call me that one, more, God, damned time, and I _swear_ to _God_ I’ll tear your wings off your fucking body and watch in awe as you plummet!” Leo and the other gargoyle jumped at the severity in the red gargoyle’s tone. “Now keep up, ‘cause I ain’t waitin’ for your sappy asses.” The three gargoyles flew off in the direction of the police station and only when they were completely out of sight did Leo allow himself to relax and descend the side of the building.

Turning his helmet around in his hands, Leo mulled over the conversation he had just heard. Something was definitely off with the red gargoyle, and he didn’t look too pleased with the other two. Leo felt as though he could relate as it seemed the red gargoyle was in the same position as he, but he had no way of knowing for certain. So Leo shrugged off his thoughts, slipped his helmet back on and sped down the streets of Manhattan again in search of a place to call home for a the time being while he still had the cover of dark.


	4. Walk-In

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,466  
Rating R  
Warnings: language; sexual actions unintentionally observed  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Broadway/Angela; referenced Goliath/Elisa

 

The night had been a long one as the gargoyle clan began to settle down from their adventures during patrol. Each member of the clan had run into at least one anti-gargoyle radical on their rounds that night. Fortunately, Brooklyn had been the only one hurt by a stray bullet that grazed his arm. Even though it had been almost a year since the incident with the train, some of the people of New York still settled their eyes of blame on the clan. This was to be expected, no one can please everyone, but after over a thousand years of hatred, one would think things would get better. Evidently humanity had other things in mind.

“Brooklyn, you’ve got to hold still!” Fox groaned as she attempted to stitch up the large gash in Brooklyn’s arm.

“Easy for you to say; you’re not the one who’s getting a needle threaded through their flesh!” Brooklyn snapped, digging his talons into the table underneath him in an attempt to remain still. Fox only rolled her eyes, finishing off the last suture before tying the thread off and cutting it.

Brooklyn sighed, rolling his shoulder as Fox searched for a fresh roll of gauze. “Thanks…” He mumbled.

Fox grinned, wrapping up the wound before patting the red gargoyle’s back. “Be more careful next time and we won’t have to do this again.” She scolded, though her tone was soft.

“Yes ma’am.” Brooklyn chuckled, hopping off the table and walking out of the infirmary.

Brooklyn sighed, making his way to the library in hopes that he could finish the book he’d started the night before. He had recently fount Xanatose’s collection of Dean Koontz and Stephen King novels and had begun to grow quite fond of the two authors as well as the horror genre they wrote in. Stretching his arms above his head, Brooklyn opened the door to the library and froze.

Resting on her hands and knees on the couch in the middle of the room was Angela, her body rocking softly back and forth as Broadway thrust into her. Neither of the two noticed Brooklyn initially, and Brooklyn was too shocked to say anything. He just stood in the doorway, bending the poor doorknob in his grip as his jaw fell to the floor.

Biting her bottom lip, Angela’s eyes cracked open, then popped when she registered that she was looking at Brooklyn.

“Brooklyn!” She shrieked, sitting up as Broadway frowned at her. The speed at which Angela sat up threw Broadway off balance and he tumbled off the side of the couch.

“What are you doing here?!” Broadway hissed, quickly standing, his dwindling erection now in Brooklyn’s line of sight.

“Oh my God, will you two please put some clothes on?!” Brooklyn exclaimed, covering his eyes in an attempt to keep his mind from being scarred even further. “Next time put a fucking sock on the door!” Brooklyn cursed his misfortune. If he hadn’t told Lexington about the burnt out bulb in the lap by the couch, there wouldn’t have been as much light to show the two gargoyle’s anatomy as they scrambled to find their clothing.

“There is this beautiful thing called knocking!” Broadway shot as he fastened the belt of his loincloth around his waist.

“It’s the fucking library! I’m not gonna knock and ask if it’s okay for me to come in here and finish reading my book!”

“Okay, put the talons away boys!” Angela said, putting her hands up in order to shut the two males up. “Obviously we made a mistake and shouldn’t have been… In a public area…”

“Oh God Angela! Just say ‘We were having sex where we shouldn’t have been’! It makes it less awkward.” Brooklyn groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Oh, because _you’re_ the one who needs the emotional support right now.” Broadway shot, his hands balling into fists.

“I was using it as a general statement!”

“Enough!” Angela huffed. “And Brooklyn, let go of the doorknob, you’re hurting it.” Looking down, Brooklyn saw that he was indeed ‘hurting the doorknob’ and let go of the once round object.

“Woops…” He mumbled, folding his wings over his shoulders as an awkward silence fell over the group.

“Admit it Brooklyn.” Broadway smirked, crossing his arms over his chest as he broke the silence.

Brooklyn frowned, turning back to the blue gargoyle. “Admit what?”

Angela placed her hand on Broadway’s shoulder, but he paid no mind to the warning.

“The only reason you’re so up in arms about this, is because you’re jealous.”

A large gust of air blew past the two as Brooklyn’s wings snapped open, hitting the door and sending it swinging back into the wall. “Say that again, I dare you.” He growled, his own fists balling up as he hunched forward.

“It’s true. You’re jealous that I got to An-” Broadway didn’t even have time to react as Brooklyn tore the doorknob off the door and threw it at him. The metal object bounced off the bridge of his nose before falling to the floor.

“Brooklyn!” Angela gasped, turning to look at Broadway’s bleeding nose. Broadway only chuckled, cracking his neck.

“Good throw, _big brother_. How about you try that again now that I’m ready and see if you can hit me twice.” Brooklyn could feel rage bubbling in his gut as he debated whether or not to take Broadway’s offer. True, Broadway was stronger than he, but he was faster and had a keener mind. Brooklyn was confident in his ability to win. However, the thought of angering Goliath hung in the back of his mind. The leader was already all over Brooklyn for his recent rash of emotional out-bursts; he didn’t need another reason for the large gargoyle to hang over his shoulder any more than he already was.

Taking a few deep breaths, Brooklyn straightened his position, squared his shoulders and replied as calmly as possible. “I wouldn’t wanna humiliate you any more in front of your girlfriend, _little brother_ , so how about we just call it a draw for now.”

“What, now you scared to fight me?” Brooklyn could hear the taunting tone in his rookery brother’s voice and refused to take the bait.

“No, I just don’t find it very appropriate to fight indoors. If you want to take this outside-”

“No, he doesn’t.” Angela interjected, turning a harsh glare at her mate.

Snorting, Brooklyn turned to leave, but stopped to glance over his shoulder. “I would suggest neither of you say anything about this to Goliath. Unless, of course, you want to explain to him how this all started in the first place…”

“How what started in the first place?” The three gargoyles jumped at Goliath’s deep voice. The leader’s eyes immediately fell to Brooklyn, which made the red gargoyle growl.

“If you wanna know, ask them,” He huffed, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. “’Cause I’m not saying anything…”

Goliath frowned, but staved off any further comment about the topic as he grabbed Brooklyn’s arm to keep him from leaving. “I actually came to find you.”

Quirking a brow, Brooklyn looked at the leader over his shoulder. “Why…?”

“Xanatose just got a phone call from Elisa saying she had some new intel about the Quarrymen from an anonymous caller about an hour ago.”

“And you want me to go?” Goliath nodded his affirmation. “Why don’t you go? She’s _your_ girlfriend after all…”

“Brooklyn.” The growl in the undertone of Goliath’s voice as his grip tightened on Brooklyn’s arm told the red gargoyle he’d gone too far.

“Alright, I’ll go…” Brooklyn huffed, his shoulders slumping as he tried to avoid sparking an argument.

Goliath hummed, eyeing the other two members of their clan behind him. “Why don’t you take Broadway and Angela with you as well?”

Brooklyn tensed, in taking a sharp breath. “Why?! I’m just going to the police station!”

“Because, Brooklyn, even though the Quarrymen have been disbanded and it is illegal for anyone to hunt us, there’s still a very heavy danger of traveling through the city alone.”

Brooklyn growled, turning to face the leader. “Oh come on! You go out on your own all the damn time! Besides, I need some time to myself! This castle may be big, but it sure as Hell ain’t big enough to get some personal time it seems.” Brooklyn shot a cursory glance in Broadway and Angela’s direction, not caring if Goliath saw it or not.

“I do not care, Brooklyn. They’re going with you and that is final.”

Brooklyn slumped, glaring up at Goliath before turning around and letting out a sigh. “This is ridiculous…” He huffed, running his talons through his white hair. “Well come on you two, I’m not going to wait for you!”


	5. Motherly Instinct

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,164  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Broadway/Angela; referenced Goliath/Elisa

 

Brooklyn grinned as the cool November air blew over his face. The police station wasn’t that far from the Eyrie Building, Brooklyn could even see it just a few blocks away, but he couldn’t wait to glide to it anyway. The sheer anticipation sent a shiver down his spine as he pulled up about a hundred feet from street level and cupped his wings so he could stay afloat as he turned around. Looking up, a frown quickly returned to his face as he watched Broadway and Angela kiss.

“Will you hurry up?! We don’t have all night!” He hollered, crossing his arms. He heard the two sigh before Angela swooped down next to him.

“Relax, Brook,” She chuckled. “This isn’t going to take us very long. We have some time.” She finished with a shrug.

“How many times have I asked you not to call me that?” Brooklyn hissed, moving away from her. “And if you and your boy-toy are gonna be much longer, I’ll just go do it by myself.”

Angela drew back frowning as she looked Brooklyn up and down. “Brooklyn, if you’re still upset about what happened earlier-”

Brooklyn growled deep in his chest. “ _Upset_ doesn’t even _begin_ to cover it! Honestly, right now I hate even _looking_ at the two of you because all I can see is ‘ _earlier_ ’! Now tell your boy-toy to hurry up, or I’m leaving your sorry asses behind!”

Angela sighed, moving to glide back up to Broadway, Brooklyn frowning after her. A sudden tingle of being watched ran along Brooklyn’s spine. His frown deepened as he tried not to show any signs he had noticed someone, even as he tried to pinpoint were the gaze was coming from.

“Here we are Brook, what’s the plan?” Broadway asked as he grasped Angela’s hand.

Brooklyn felt a fire spark in his eye at the name and the gesture the two shared. “Look, we’re just going to pick up some intel from Elisa, that’s all. God knows why Goliath made me take the two of you along for the ride. I’d be perfectly capable of doing this on my own.”

“Yeah, well, orders are orders Brook. Ya gotta follow them.” Broadway said with a shrug.

Brooklyn felt his rage seething as he harshly poked Broadway in the chest. “You call me that one, more, God, damned time, and I _swear_ to _God_ I’ll tear your wings off your fucking body and watch in awe as you plummet!” Broadway jumped at the severity in his rookery brother’s tone. “Now keep up, ‘cause I ain’t waitin’ for your sappy asses.” Without another word, Brooklyn turned away from the two and began heading towards the police station, the feeling of someone watching him still tickling the back of his neck.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The three gargoyles landed on the roof of the building across from the police station.

“What are we doing Brook-lyn?” Broadway asked, tacking on the last syllable of Brooklyn’s name after remembering his threat.

Brooklyn suppressed a growl as Elisa waved at them from inside. “I want you two to stay here.” He said, waving back in acknowledgement.

“What, why?”

“One, because I don’t want to spend any more time than necessary with the two of you, and two, all three of us don’t need to go in!” Brooklyn growled, not waiting for a response before jumping down to street level and gliding across the road.

Brooklyn’s ear twitched at the sound of a motorcycle’s kick-start. Turning his head, Brooklyn saw a sleek, black bike pulling out from behind the Eyrie building and zip off in the opposite direction. The rider was completely clad in black, but Brooklyn had no doubt this was who he felt watching him earlier. Taking in every detail of the bike, its rider and the direction they were headed in, Brooklyn steeled himself to follow after he gave Elisa’s intel to Goliath.

As Brooklyn opened to door to the police station, a small bell chimed above his head. He chuckled inwardly, thinking it a strange human custom, but seeing the merit in it.

“I’ll be honest, you’re not the one I expected to show up when I made that phone call, but I’m glad to see you Brook.” Elisa’s smile was extremely audible in her voice as she moved to hug the gargoyle. Grinning, Brooklyn folded his wings over his shoulders and returned the hug. Elisa was the only one he allowed to get away with calling him Brook.

Even though Elisa was Goliath’s girlfriend, the two had always shared a special bond. Brooklyn felt the relationship may have stemmed back to when Demona had tricked him into casting a spell on Goliath. He hadn’t known what to do and was beginning to lose hope after thumbing through the Grimorum countless times, when Elisa finally figured out how to use the spell against itself. Afterwards, the two had burned the spell so no one could use it again and it had been an amazing comfort just having the human there with him.

Stepping back from the embrace, Elisa caught a glimpse of the gauze wrapped around Brooklyn’s arm.

“You’re hurt! What happened?” She asked, rubbing her thumb over the fabric.

Brooklyn chuckled. “A bullet grazed my arm while I was out on patrol tonight. Nothing major, Fox was able to sew it up, no problem.”

“I wish there was more we could do to stop people like that…” Elisa muttered, looking around Brooklyn’s shoulder to the building outside.

“Why aren’t Broadway and Angela coming in?” She asked, quirking a brow at Brooklyn.

Brooklyn groaned. “I told them not to.”

“Why?”

“Reasons.” As hard as he tried, Brooklyn couldn’t hide everything from his human friend and she immediately sensed something was off. It was something a kin to a motherly instinct.

“Brooklyn, what happened?”

“I don’t really-”

“I’m not giving you any intel until you spill about what’s bugging you.” Brooklyn felt like he was staring at his mother as Elisa crossed her arms and cocked her hip out.

“Alright fine, but can we go somewhere more private… Please?” Simply nodding, Elisa turned and led the gargoyle to one of the empty interrogation rooms. Closing the door behind her, Elisa leaned back against the wall as Brooklyn took a seat on the table.

“Now spill.”

Groaning, Brooklyn began recounting what had happened earlier in the night and was relieved to find that Elisa was just as shocked, embarrassed and angered as he had been.

“What the Hell? Don’t they know what a ‘Do not disturb’ sign is?” The police woman groaned, her face heating up with a dark blush.

“Apparently not.” Brooklyn sighed, his tail twitching nervously behind himself along the table. Out of all of the gargoyle clan, Brooklyn’s tail was the fussiest by far, especially when he got nervous. “That’s why I told them to stay outside; I can barely look at them. That and I didn’t really think it was necessary for all three of us to come in here.”

A small smile moved across Elisa’s red lips as she strode over to the table. “Why did Goliath send all three of you anyway?” She asked, sitting next to Brooklyn on the table after he moved over to make room.

“He said it’s still dangerous for us to travel alone through the city, but…”

“But?”

Brooklyn sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t think he trusts me.”

Elisa frowned deeply, turning towards her friend. “What do you mean you don’t think he trusts you?”

Brooklyn grimaced. “I shouldn’t be talking with you about this. I don’t want you to have any negative-”

“Brooklyn, if you don’t tell me right now, I will march over to the castle and find the answers from Goliath himself.” Brooklyn gulped, knowing she was serious. “I won’t say anything to him. I just want to understand.”

Sighing, Brooklyn conceded. “I haven’t really been myself lately…” He admitted, wringing his hands together in an awkward gesture. “I’ve blown up on people a lot, people I care about… I try not to, but I just can’t keep my feelings in. And some of the things I’ve blown up about were really, _really_ stupid. Like the other day, Lex was working on a toy car for Alex, and it ran into my leg. I hurt like a mother fucker, and even though Lex tried to apologize, I just… I yelled at him… I apologized later, of course, and Lex told me he didn’t care, but I _do_ … I just… I don’t know what’s wrong with me…”

Elisa’s hand was a warm comfort as she cupped it over his. “You’re stressed and understandably so. Maybe you should take a few days off, get away from the castle?”

Brooklyn chuckled, a wishful tone in the sound. “If only I could.”

“Do you want me to-”

“Talk to Goliath?” Brooklyn snorted. “No offence, Elisa, but I think that would do more harm than good.”

Elisa grinned, nodding her understanding. “Well, at least you can take some good news back to him; a large faction of the Quarrymen was just arrested over in the old abandoned warehouses down by the east docks. An anonymous tipster called them in.”

Brooklyn’s brow rose. “Do you have any idea who the caller was?”

Elisa shook her head. “None. By all rights, the mobile number shouldn’t even exist.”

“How is that possible?”

“No one knows. Our techies can’t even figure it out. The number consisted of three digits, and hasn’t been registered under any phone company.”

“Sounds like something Lex could come up with.”

“That’s what I said, but the tech is far past anything Lex has even come close to creating yet.”

“Jesus…” Brooklyn breathed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you think we should worry about this at all?”

“Currently, I’d say no. The person’s obviously not on the Quarrymen’s side, since they turned such a large group of them in.”

“But that doesn’t mean he or she isn’t in ranks with another one of our enemies.”

“True.” Elisa agreed, stretching her arms above her head. “Well, you’d better get going, unless we want Broadway and Angela to make their way in here.”

Brooklyn rolled his eyes and hopped of the table. “Either that or they’ve left; though I honestly wouldn’t mind at this point.”

“So hostile.” Elisa chuckled, as the two made their way back out to the main doors.

“Give us a shout if you get any more information on the anonymous tipster.”

“Will do.” Elisa responded, saluting the gargoyle, making him laugh as he exited the building.

“What took so long?” Broadway shouted as Brooklyn crossed the street and climbed up the side of the building they were perched on.

“Had a few things to talk about, that alright with you?” Brooklyn asked, quirking a brow in a challenging manner.

Broadway put his hands up in defense. “Gees, relax, I was just asking.”

Brooklyn rolled his eyes, opening his wings and quickly taking off back towards the castle. “Let’s just get back to the castle…”

 

“And they have no idea who the caller may have been?” Goliath asked in confirmation.

Brooklyn shook his head. “They say the number technically shouldn’t even exist.” A deep frown creased Goliath’s features as he contemplated the information. “Look, Goliath, I know what you’re thinking,” Brooklyn started. “But keeping us all on lock down in the castle is literally going to drive me crazy. I don’t think we really need to worry about the caller for now. He’s obviously not affiliated with the Quarrymen, and with that in mind, I _highly_ doubt he or she is much of a threat at the moment.”

Goliath let out a sigh, nodding his head in agreement. “I believe you are right, for now.” He said, crossing his arms. “But if this caller poses any threat in the future, the clan will be on lock down.” Brooklyn sighed in relief as Goliath walked away. He knew their leader meant well, and only wanted to protect their small family, but the idea of being unable to leave the castle, or if he did it wouldn’t be alone, was suffocating. The others may not have needed as much space, but Brooklyn did. If he was kept in the same place too long, he had the feeling of claustrophobia, especially when that place was full of his family. He loved them, but they didn’t like when he kept secrets from them. And Brooklyn had several secrets.

Making sure no one was around Brooklyn quickly made his way outside and took off in the direction he had seen the biker drive off in. He knew his chances of coming across him were slim, but Brooklyn felt he had to try. If the biker had been hiding behind the Eyrie Building and had been watching him, he needed to figure out why, and if he or she posed a threat to he and his family.


	6. Beginnings

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,087  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: past Raph/Leo; referenced Casey/April

 

Leo knew this was stupid. He had let his emotions control his actions and now he had dug himself a hole he couldn’t get out of. Here he was, backed up against a wall, his backpack tossed and spilled out across the ground of the alley, completely out of his reach, and his bike overturned at the alley opening. Outnumbered and trapped; not exactly the calming exit from home he was looking for.

“Where’re your steak knives, freak?” Hun chuckled, cracking his knuckles, the purple dragon tattoo on his arm flexing in the moonlight.

“I’m not in the mood Hun. Piss off.” Leo hissed, balling his hands into fists as he put on a brave front even though he knew he had no chance of winning.

Hun chuckled, stepping forward. “Oh, I’m so scared!” He jeered. “The freak with no steak knives, and no back up is threatening me!”

Leo rolled his eyes. “As you can see, I’m _thoroughly_ imitated by your childish jeering. Really, I’m shaking in my boots.” Leo smirked at Hun’s threatening growl.

“Well at least we have something to agree on; I’m not in the mood either.” Hun huffed, stepping back and motioning to his men to advance on the turtle.

Leo backed up until his back hit the wall. Panic sewed its seed in his gut as his eyes darted left and right, looking for an escape route.

“Little freak’s gettin’ scared.” Hun’s taunting tone came back as he watched Leo’s eyes.

Leo grunted, taking a step forward so he wasn’t pressed back up against the wall. He ducked to avoid a crowbar that swung at his head before another thug to his right clocked him in the jaw as he moved downwards. The impact stunned Leo long enough for a third thug to swipe his feet out from under him.

Without the protection of his shell, the force of Leo’s fall knocked the wind out of him. He gasped in air as best he could before Hun pressed the barrel of his gun underneath Leo’s chin.

“What’s the matter Hun; afraid to fight fair?” Leo smirked, though the seed of panic in his gut began sprouting.

“I’ve learned with you freaks that fighting fair just don’t cut it. If we want to make it out with all of our limbs attached, we have no choice.” Hun responded, lifting Leo’s chin to look up at him.

“If you’d just retire and find _real_ jobs, we wouldn’t keep running into one another.”

Hun chuckled, cocking his gun. “Well we won’t be ‘running into each other’ much longer,” He stated, forcing Leo’s head back farther. “Now will we?”

Leo opened his mouth to add another sarcastic quip when a heavy gust of wind that blew through the alley way cut him off. He frowned, as did Hun, and they both looked down to the entrance of the alley. They could see nothing at first, but could hear a low, gravely growl. Then two orbs lit up in the darkness, looking much like a pair of eyes.

“What the-” Hun started, but was cut short when the figure jumped up, pushed off of the dumpster and lunged itself at him.

Using the distraction to his advantage, Leo quickly jumped to his feet, grabbing hold of the thug’s shoulders in front of him, and launched himself over the man’s head. Keeping hold of his shoulders, Leo threw the man across the alley into an open dumpster. Hun tumbled to the ground in shock, as the shadowed figure clawed at his chest.

Leo was impressed with the figure’s fighting ability, but remained leery of him as they drove the rest of the Purple Dragon’s out of the alley.

“I wish I could say I owe you, but I don’t feel comfortable saying such a thing to someone whose face I haven’t even seen.” Leo commented, squatting down to replace his back pack and the contents within, all the while keeping his eyes on the silhouette of the figure, the only thing he could make out. The figure chuckled, a deep, nasally tone that sent shivers up Leo’s spine. “You seem to know your way around shadows.”

“That’s partly out of necessity.” The figure responded. “Who are you?”

Leo chuckled, facing the figure directly. “Why do you want to know? You want to put me on a dissection table? Is that why you helped me out?”

“No.”

“Then why did you help me? I highly doubt it was out of charity.”

“It’s my job.”

Leo quirked a brow. “Your voice sounds familiar.”

The figure chuckled darkly. “Does it now?”

Leo’s defensive nature picked up as he backed into his bike. “Step into the light so I can see you.” He instructed, sliding his hand down to the ignition of the bike.

The figure huffed, placing a red foot into the feeble light of the alley. “You were right, I didn’t help you out of charity.” The creature continued, slowly moving further into the light, its leg completely visible as well as its arm and part of a tail. “I came to ask you why you were spying on me and my family.” The last sentence came out in a low growl as the red gargoyle stepped fully into the light.

Leo couldn’t help but gulp. Seeing this gargoyle from afar was one thing, but having him not ten feet away from him was intimidating to say the least.

“I asked you a question,” The gargoyle hissed, stepping closer to Leo. “Why were you spying on me and my family?”

Staring up into those emerald eyes, Leo cleared his throat before responding. “I wasn’t spying on you.” He stated simply, squaring his shoulders and crossing his arms.

“Right. I suppose you just _happened_ to climb up a hundred feet on the side of the Eyrie Building just to see the city lights.” The gargoyle scoffed, crossing his arms as well.

“Not to see the lights, but I did climb that high because it allowed me to see without being seen.” The gargoyle frowned, but relaxed his stance. “I was just about to climb down when you and your friends hovered in front of me. I didn’t want to get into a confrontation while I was hanging precariously on the side of the building so that’s why I didn’t move.”

The gargoyle sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again and looking at Leo. “Who or what were you looking at?”

Leo chuckled, leaning back against his bike. “I found a warehouse full of Quarrymen and called in an anonymous tip. I was just watching to make sure none of them left before the police got there.”

The gargoyle’s eyes lit up as a smile broke over his beak. “ _You_ were the anonymous caller?”

“Yeah… Is that important? You’re welcome by the way.”

“More than you know. And thanks.” The gargoyle added as an afterthought.

Leo chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “You have a name?”

“Brooklyn. You?”

“Leonardo.”

“So, Leo, what did those thugs want with you?”

Rolling his eyes, Leo let out a heavy sigh. “Hun and the Purple Dragons are a group of no account low lives that I’ve managed to make my enemies and royally piss off.”

“Purple Dragons?”

Leo blinked in confusion. “You’ve never heard of the Purple Dragons?”

“Apparently they haven’t done enough to get on my radar.”

“You must have a strict radar then. The Purple Dragons are ruthless, and into some pretty shady shit. They worked for the big business tycoon Oroku Saki, but now they’re just a low-life gang with big money and weapons.”

“I thought Oroku Saki was just a big business man. All bark and no bite, theoretically speaking.”

Leo let out a dry chuckle. “Not even close.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“I barely know you other than your name.” Leo said, a small smile inching onto his lips. “How do I know you won’t take any information I give you and turn it against me?”

 

Brooklyn chuckled, holding his arms out. “Who am _I_ gonna tell? Humanity may realize my kind and I aren’t a threat now, but most of them still hate us.”

“The problem is, only a few humans know about me and my family.”

“There’s more than one of you?”

“Indeed there is.”

Brooklyn smirked. “Now I know how Elisa must have felt when she first met us.”

“Elisa? Why does that name sound so familiar?” Leo asked under his breath.

“You may have heard her being called a ‘gargoyle sympathizer’.” Brooklyn stated, moving to sit on the dented dumpster behind himself.

“No, there’s something else… What’s her last name?” Brooklyn frowned, giving Leo a leery look. Holding up his hands in defense, Leo was quick to respond. “If you don’t want to tell me that’s fine. I was just wondering is all.”

Brooklyn opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of another motorbike coming their way caught his attention. Frowning, Leo took a step towards the alleyway opening to take a look when the bike came to a halt. Looking over his shoulder, Leo saw that Brooklyn had already hidden himself . Turning back to the biker, Leo watched as Angel took off her helmet and walked over to him.

“Donnie wasn’t kidding, those trackers work like a charm.” Leo grimaced, pulling his shell-cell from his jacket pocket to find that the locator was indeed blinking. “Relax, I’m the only one comin’.” Angel stated, holding her hands up.

“What’re you doing here Angel?” Leo asked, taking a few steps towards the girl.

“Lookin’ for you.” She responded, tucking her helmet under her arm. “Splinter called to tell me you’d run away.” Leo groaned, rubbing the bridge of his snout. “That was Donnie’s reaction when I called to ask him what was going on. Splinter nearly sent April into a fit.”

“Jesus! The last thing April needs is to get stressed out with a baby on the way! Besides, I left a note.”

“I’m just the messenger girl. Donnie said to tell you to take all the time you need. He’ll handle Splinter.” Leo’s eyes lit up. “He also said that Raph-”

“I’ll just stop you right there.” Leo interrupted, holding up a hand. “I don’t need to know what Raph said or did, alright. In fact he’s part of the reason I’m out here…” Leo finished with a sigh, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

“He just said he was sorry.” Angel finished, ignoring Leo’s interjection.

Leo tensed, frowning at the ground. “It’s a little late for that…”

Angel bit her lip, unsure of what to say. “Look Leo…I can’t even begin to understand what you’re going through,” She started, stepping forward to pull Leo’s hand out of his pocket and hold it in her own. “But Raph seems like he’s genuinely sorry. I think-”

“Angel,” Leo interrupted again, laying his free hand over hers. “This isn’t about whether or not Raph’s sorry. I know he is. It’s- It’s a lot more complicated than that and _I’m_ not even sure about most of it. That’s part of why I left; to sort things out. Of course there’s other reasons that I don’t want to get into, but it has nothing to do with Raph being sorry or not. I know he is.”

Making eye contact with the terrapin, Angel gave him a warm smile. “Okay. I’ll let the others know you’re alright. But you have to promise me something.”

Quirking a brow, Leo gave Angel and incredulous look. “What is it?”

“I told April I’d have you text her once a day, just to let her know you’re alright.”

Leo grinned. “I think I can manage that.”

“And Splinter told you to be safe.”

“I can do that too I suppose.” Angel laughed, punching Leo in the arm. Leo smiled, ruffling the girl’s hair. “Now get home! I don’t need your brother getting mad at me on top of everything else!” He ordered, giving the girl’s shoulder a light shove.

Rolling her eyes, Angel slipped her helmet back on and mounted her bike. “By the way, sweet ride.” She called over the sound of the engine before she sped back off for home.

Leo shook his head, smiling affectionately as he turned to try and relocate Brooklyn. It was only then he realized that he was alone in the alley.

“So much for manners…” Leo mumbled to himself, pulling his own helmet on and mounting his bike.


	7. Needs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short. The next few may be a little short as well but I hope to lengthen them up here soon. :)

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,074  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: referenced Goliath/Elisa and Broadway/Angela

 

Brooklyn felt no small amount of relief as he flew home. Finding out that the turtle Leonardo had been the one to call in the anonymous tip reassured him that he and his family had nothing to worry about from him. However his good mood was quickly soiled when he saw Goliath waiting for him.

“Were did you go?” The large gargoyle demanded as Brooklyn landed in front of him.

“I just went to get some fresh air, is that a crime?” Brooklyn responded, a little harsher than he had planned to, folding his wings over his shoulders.

“It is when I have explicitly told you not to go out on your own.”

Brooklyn let out a frustrated growl. “Come on Goliath! I’m not a hatchling anymore! You gave me the position of second in command for a reason, start believing in my abilities a little!”

“This has nothing to do with me not believing in your abilities, Brooklyn! It has to do with your safety!”

“Goliath, I feel trapped here!” Brooklyn shouted, throwing his arms out to the sides. “The rest of you may not need space, but I do! I can’t just sit around and wait for your next order, while the rest of our family suffocates me! You can’t force me to stay here all the time…” There. He’d finally said it. It had come off a little nastier than he had wanted the conversation to go, but a weight lifted off his shoulders after he had finished.

Goliath’s response, however, was not what he had been hoping for. “Making these excuses only strengthens my resolve to keep you here.”

Brooklyn’s jaw dropped. “ _Excuses_?! You think it’s an _excuse_?! Goliath, I need space!”

“You don’t need it, Brooklyn. You _want_ it. Angela told me what happened earlier today.”

Realization hit Brooklyn like a lead ball. “Oh… So you think this is about all that…” Brooklyn hissed with a dry chuckle.

“I know it hurt when my daughter chose Broadway over you but-”

“I am so _not_ having this conversation right now. That has nothing to do with me _needing_ space.”

“Brooklyn-” 

“No! This conversation is over.” Before Goliath had a chance to respond, Brooklyn opened his wings and took off to the other side of the castle. He didn’t need to deal with this right now. The last thing he needed was another emotional outburst for Goliath to pounce on.

Settling himself on one of the lower perches, Brooklyn looked out at the city of Manhattan. Leonardo had been right, you could see the old warehouses by the docks perfectly from here.

“Lost in thought?” Brooklyn jumped, digging his talons into the stone underneath himself to keep from falling over. “Sorry.” Elisa giggled as she sat down next to him. “I heard the conversation you had with Goliath.”

Brooklyn snorted. “I wouldn’t really call that a conversation. It was more one-sided than that… And there was a fair amount of yelling involved…” He huffed, turning to look at his friend.

“Why haven’t you talked to him about that before?” Elisa asked, crossing her legs under herself as a soft breeze blew through her hair.

“As you heard it didn’t exactly boat over well with him…” Brooklyn sighed, resting his arms across his legs. “I just… I don’t know how to make him understand… Back in Scotland it was easier to get away, because Goliath was usually preoccupied with other things, and I wasn’t really that close with him but… Now I just… He doesn’t understand at all.”

Elisa frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I wish there were more that I could do, because you were right; if I talk to him, it’ll only make things worse…”

“You didn’t try and talk to him, did you?” Brooklyn asked, his tone almost panicky.

“Relax, Brooklyn. No, I didn’t. But I got to thinking about our previous conversation and I realized you were right.” Brooklyn sighed with relief. “Though, I’ll have to start explaining why I’m spending so much time with you.” Elisa added as an afterthought.

“Oh Jesus, I didn’t even _think_ about that…” The two chuckled, enjoying the silence and one another’s company until a thought popped into Brooklyn’s head. “Oh, by the way, I met the anonymous caller.”

Elisa frowned. “What? How did you even _find_ him?” She asked.

“His name in Leonardo and he climbed up the side of the Erie Building to watch the warehouse to make sure no one left before the police got there. He was about to climb down when Broadway, Angela and I came down to find you and he didn’t want to have to explain his presence while he was holding on to the window frame.”

“He climbed up the side of this building?!” Elisa asked, astonished.

“Yeah, I thought that was a little crazy myself. But he won’t be posing a threat.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well… He’s a… He’s a giant turtle…”

Elisa blinked, unsure if she’d just heard that right. “He’s a giant… turtle…?” Brooklyn nodded. “And I thought _you guys_ were the craziest things I would ever come across.”

“It’s a strange world out there, that’s for sure. I thought you would have learned that on your ‘world tour’ with Goliath, Angela and Bronx.” The sarcasm in Brooklyn’s tone did not go unnoticed by the human.

“There’s no need to be rude.” She chuckled, pushing at Brooklyn’s shoulder.

Brooklyn grinned, wrapping his arm around Elisa’s shoulders and pulling her into a hug. “I don’t know what I’d do without a friend like you.” He stated as the human hugged him back.

“You all would have crashed and burned years ago.” Elisa confirmed, placing a friendly kiss on the gargoyle’s cheek before swinging her legs around and standing up. “Well, I should get back to work before the chief fires me for spending too much time away from my duties. Plus the sun’s coming up and that means my shift is almost over and I can go home, and crash.” Brooklyn chuckled affectionately, waving to his friend as she exited through the door she had entered.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Brooklyn looked up to find Goliath had been watching them, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable. Gulping, Brooklyn watched as the large gargoyle’s demeanor shifted to disdain momentarily, just before the sun rose and the pair turned to stone for the day.


	8. Homesick

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,105  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: mentioned Colton/Raph and past Raph/Leo

 

As of now, Leo had been unsuccessful in finding a place to stay. He groaned inwardly as he pulled into a back alley and cut the engine on his bike. Pulling off his helmet, Leo placed it in the back compartment of his bike before slipping out of his backpack, and sat down against the wall, rubbing his neck. He began thinking over his decision of leaving the lair and his family. Deep down he knew he needed the space, but in the front part of his mind, Leo felt guilty.

“Oh God… What the hell am I doing?” Leo groaned, pinching the bridge of his snout. He was supposed to be out here to _clear_ his mind, not fill it with _more_ shit to worry about.

A soft rustling to his left shook Leo out of his thoughts. Listening carefully, Leo tried to pinpoint exactly where the noise had come from. Trying his best to act like he hadn’t noticed anything, Leo pulled his bag into his lap, pretending to restlessly fish around in it before setting it to the side again and slipping a dagger into the pocket of his jacket.

A few minutes passed and, having heard nothing more, Leo decided to chalk up what he’d heard to his frayed nerves. Relaxing back against the wall, Leo closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He could feel his stress finally start to melt away, when the sound of a gun cocking shocked him out of his reverie. Leo quickly shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, spinning to his left and facing the gunman in a crouch.

“Jumpy much?” The man chuckled, taking a step forward. “And what the hell are ya supposed ta be? Halloween was last month freak!”

Leo rolled his eyes. Humans had no manners. “I don’t like people sneaking up on me.” Leo stated firmly, slowly standing with his hands up. “And I don’t want any trouble.”

“Well then jus’ hand me the bag and ain’t nothin’ gonna go wrong.” The man smirked, holding out his free hand.

“Trust me, I don’t have anything of value in there.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Rolling his eyes again, Leo picked his bag up and tossed it to the gunman. Still holding the gun on Leo, the thug knelt down and searched through Leo’s bag. “Ya got a lot a weapons in here freak. The hell do ya think ya are, some kind a ninja?”

The amusement in the man’s voice irked Leo. “If I were you, I wouldn’t stick around to find out. I’m not in the best of moods.”

“Oooh, I’m scared!” The thug drawled, shaking his hands lightly. “I’ll bet anythin’ ya don’t know how ta use half this shit.” Leo growled stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“I told you there wasn’t anything of interest for you in there, so toss it back before you piss me off anymore.”

The thug frowned, straitening his stance. “How about you shut up!” He shouted, shoving the gun in Leo’s face. In an instant, Leo ripped the gun from the thug’s grasp, and swiped his legs out from underneath him.

“I told you that you didn’t want to stick around to find out. Now get out of here before I change my mind.” The thug practically screamed as he ran out of the alleyway and into the street. Letting out a huff, Leo removed the magazine from the gun and allowed the six remaining bullets to pop out in the palm of his hand. He grumbled quiet curses to himself, tossing the gun and magazine in the dumpster and pocketing the bullets. He hated guns with a special passion. Having been shot one too many times in his life, he found it coloured his view of the weapons in a darker shade. It wasn’t so much the pain they caused to himself as to the rest of his family.

As if on cue, his phone began buzzing in his pocket. Shifting to retrieve the device, Leo read the text from his youngest brother with affection.

 

Stay safe dude. We all love you.  
\- The Mikester

 

The text was simple, but touching. A warm feeling welled in the leader’s gut as he quickly responded.

 

Thanks Mike. I will. Love you all too.  
\- Leo

 

Pocketing the phone, Leo slipped his helmet back on and moved onward, still looking for a place to stay. He wondered briefly if he should just turn around and go back, but then he remembered the place Donnie had hauled up in for a month when the Quarrymen first came into being. He had gotten caught out in the city when the first wave of anti-gargoyle protests had erupted, and they both deemed it too dangerous for him to return home. So he had found a place in the sewers on the west side of town to hunker down in until the worst of the riots had dissipated.

As Leo followed the narrow roads of Manhattan Island, he continuously ran into an old, red, ‘50’s style automobile. He began to recognize the vehicle from somewhere else, but couldn’t place where. Growing very weary of the car, Leo doubled back on his path, hiding his bike in a back ally and opening a manhole cover to continue his journey on foot.

This section of the sewers hadn’t been looked after as well as the section Leo and his family lived in and Leo had to be careful not to trip over a fallen piece of the ceiling or large cracks in the floor. How Donatello had managed to make it in and out of this area without breaking something, whether it had been himself or otherwise, amazed the leader.

It took Leo a while to find where his brother had hauled up in, but once he did he was surprised to find it fairly well kept. There were cracks and rubble, sure, but there was almost a homey feeling in the air that Leo couldn’t help but feel. Tossing his bag in the corner, Leo began clearing away some of the rubble in order to make an area for himself to move around freely in.

Leo slowly walked around the area, feeling along the walls with his exposed fingertips. The room felt strangely like home, and it made Leo a little sick to his stomach. He suddenly wanted to go home. He wanted to see his brothers, silently wishing he could go back in time to when they were kids. Everything was so much easier then. They all slept in the same bed, sharing a large quilt that would eventually become their first masks when they began learning the way of the ninja from Splinter. Those times were so simple. There were no deeper feelings, nothing to complicate their lives. Leo wanted that back more than anything, and it left his heart aching as he realized things could never be the same.

“I thought I might find ya here.” Leo wheeled around, holding up his fists in defense as he stared into those golden eyes.

“You know, the whole point of me leaving the lair was to get away from you and Colton to clear my head, Raph.” Leo hissed, crossing his arms. “Even _you_ should have figured that out.”

Sighing, Raph pinched the bridge of his snout. “Leo, come off it, alright. I came out here to talk, that’s it! Why is that so difficult for you?!”

Leo’s jaw just about dropped. “Are you fucking kidding me?” The curse took Raph off guard as he stared at his brother. “Why is it so hard for me to talk to you?! Raph, we used to be _lovers_! I shared things with you that I haven’t even told _Splinter_ about! What the hell am I supposed to say when all I can remember coming out of my mouth are the sweet nothings and secrets I used to tell you in the middle of the night?!” Raph gave Leo a blank stare, trying to process anything other than the hurt in Leo’s tone. “And my God, all I can hear when you talk to me is every time you used to tell me you loved me, and that we’d always be together! How the hell can I face that?! How the hell can you?”

“Leo… Leo I- I didn’t-” Leo held up his hand to stop the rest of Raph’s sentence.

“If you say you didn’t mean to hurt me I _will_ tear your tongue out.” He hissed. “I can’t count how many times Colton’s told me that, and you know what, it’s too little too late for you to say that to me and mean it.”

Raph frowned. “Do you hate him?”

“Who? Colton?” As much as Leo wished, he couldn’t say the human’s name without venom running off his tongue.

Raph nodded. “Do you hate me?”

Leo closed his eyes and turned away, clenching his fists on his biceps. “God I wish I did. It would make everything so much easier if I hated the two of you…”

Raph bit his lip, rubbing the back of his neck. “Leo…”

“But that doesn’t mean I want to _see_ either of you.” Leo spat, turning back around. “I may not hate you, but I’m damn well _pissed_ off. I know it’s irrational. I know it’s stupid. But I can’t hide it anymore, and it’s taking _everything_ I have not to sucker punch you in the jaw right now.”

“Then do it.”

Leo blinked, frowning at the hot head. “Excuse me?”

“Do it. Hit me. After all, I deserve it.” There was no challenge in Raph’s tone. No promise of retaliation. He was genuinely honest.

“It kind of takes the point out of it if you’re accepting of it.” Leo said, giving his brother an incredulous look.

“So? You said so yerself, it’s taking everything you have not to. Why stop yerself? You-” Raph didn’t have time to finish before Leo’s fist made contact with his jaw. His head snapped to the right as he stumbled back, almost tripping over a crack in the floor. “Holy shit you actually punched me!” Raph exclaimed, staring at his brother in shock as he rubbed his swelling lip.

“You thought I was lying?” Leo frowned, rubbing his knuckles. “Shame on you then.”

Spitting out blood onto the ground, Raph straightened himself. “Damn that hurt!”

Leo rolled his eyes. “Get over it crybaby, you’ve had worse.” He taunted, smirking as Raph’s blood finally began to boil.

“Crybaby?” Raph repeated in a low growl. “I’m not the one running from my problems, am I?”

Leo scoffed, refusing to take the bait. “You sure about that Raphie? Last time I checked I wasn’t the one letting my new boy toy do the apologizing for me.” Leo saw the string break holding Raph together as the hothead lunged for him. Leo easily sidestepped Raph’s attack, waiting until Raph’s movement had stopped before shoving the larger male over with his foot. “Haven’t you learned that you can’t take me down with anger?” Leo asked, a chuckled bubbling on his lips as he watched Raph’s shoulders shake.

“The fuck Leo?! I came to talk, that’s all! And you throw it back in my face!” Raph shouted, tossing his arms up in the air as he picked himself off the ground.

“Welcome to my world, Raph.” Leo spat, watching the realization hit home. “Every time we have an argument, and I try to talk about it, this is the reaction I get.” He explained, his tone and expression softening. “I left so I wouldn’t become like this, because the anger, and the depression were slowly taking over. I. Can’t. Do it. Anymore.”

Raph pressed his lips together, watching as Leo fought back tears. “Leo…”

“Don’t say it… Just leave…” Leo whispered, drawing into himself and turning away from the hothead.

“Leo, I-”

“ _Please_ , just _leave_ …” Raph’s heart broke as he watched his brother’s shoulders shake from the sheer effort of keeping his emotions under control.

Taking a step forward, Raph thought about wrapping Leo in a hug, but thought better of it and instead turned and left without another word.

Once Raph was gone, Leo sank to the ground, burying his face in his hands as he let the tears he’d been holding in for six months fall to the ground below him. It felt good to cry. It felt good to let go of the emotions he’d held in for so long. And Leo finally realized just how much he had truly been hurting.


	9. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys and gals! I'm SOOOO sorry this chapter has taken so long to post. I'm in two AP classes this year as well as ASL 2 so my schedule is a little booked. I'm going to try my very hardest to keep the chapters coming at fairly regular intervals but as I said I'm really booked and I can't promise anything. Once again thank you to all of you who are sticking with me and this story even with the wacky posting schedule. <3 Also, another note that I would like to add is this; I PROMISE COLTON ISN'T ACTUALLY THIS BIG OF A DICK! I just had to write him that way for the purpose of this story! He will be a character that you all will (hopefully) like later on! Now on to the story!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,699  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Colton/Raph; past Raph/Leo

 

The walk back to the lair was painful as Raph played back his encounter with his brother. How could he have been so blind? How could he have not noticed how horrible Leo had been feeling? How could he do this to his own brother?

Opening the door to the lair, Raph paused to look around. The lair seemed empty. Lifeless. Home wasn’t home without Leo he realized. He needed Leo around. Maybe not for the same reasons as he once needed him, but he still needed him.

“Leo punched you, didn’t he?” Donnie asked, making Raph jump.

“How’d you know? It’s not bruising yet is it?” Raph frowned, running his hand along his tender jawline.

“No, but he’s talked about it quite often. I told you not to go after him.”

“What was I supposed to do Donnie?” Raph asked, his tone helpless. “I couldn’t just let his anger fester! I wanted to apologize to him in person… But…”

Donnie sighed, taking a step closer to his brother. “Raph, Leo knows you’re sorry. He knows you didn’t mean to hurt him. But knowing this only makes it worse because it makes him feel like his anger and frustration are unjustified. He hates himself for it but doesn’t know how to control it. For once in his life, Leo’s emotions are too strong for him to hold back.”

Raph let out a sigh, closing his eyes. “I feel like a total dick.”

“Sorry Raph, but you should and you are.” Donnie’s statement took the hothead by surprise. “You and Colton both. I know you didn’t mean to hurt Leo, but you did. Leo let you go because he didn’t want to hold you back from what he knew you wanted. And neither of you let him down easy.”

“I tried to Don! You know I’m not good with-”

“Oh, don’t use that as an excuse!” Donnie hissed. “You knew exactly what you were doing the first time you hooked up with Colton!”

Raph blushed. “How did you-”

“Everyone knew Raph.”

“E-everyone?

“Colton didn’t make it all that difficult to look past.”

Raph’s frown deepened. “What are you-?”

“Did you really think Leo was this upset about you just falling out of love with him and falling in love with Colton? If so, then you obviously don’t know him that well. When you hooked up with Colton behind Leo’s back that first time, Colton made a point _not_ to clean your scent off of him as well as every single time after that.”

“What?!”

“Colton wanted everyone to know you two were seeing each other, and the first person he walked passed every time was Leo.” Raph’s jaw dropped. “That first time was the day I watched Leo’s heart shatter, and the first day he didn’t speak to you.”

“God Don… I…” Rage bubbled in Raph’s gut as he mulled over Donnie’s words.

“Look Raph, you have no one to blame but yourself.” Donnie explained. “You made the conscious choice to see Colton behind Leo’s back, and Leo paid the price for it. The question is, can you face either of them now that you know the truth? Can you face yourself?”

Raph growled deep in his chest. “Oh, I can face Colton alright. And it ain’t gonna be pretty.” He stated, not waiting for Donnie’s response before he stalked off to his room, intent on waiting for his lover to come home, and give him hell once he did.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It was half past eleven that morning before Colton came home. As tired as Raph was, he had stayed awake for the human’s return so he could get his confrontation over with.

“Hey,” Colton’s accent held a smile in it as he set his keys on the desk before striding over to Raph’s hammock where the terrapin had sprawled himself. “Sorry, boss man put me through an extra half shift. You didn’t have to wait up.” The man stated, leaning down to steal a kiss before he was blocked by Raph’s forearm. “Raph?”

Raph used the time it took for himself to sit up to collect all his thoughts together before he began. The last thing he wanted was Colton picking up the defensive before they got anywhere with the conversation.

“I found Leo today.” The hothead started, keeping himself from turning to face the human as he knew one look in those lavender eyes and he’d lose it.

“Really? Is he alright? How’d you even find him?” Colton asked, his tone genuinely concerned, which confused Raph.

“Yeah he’s alright. He’s hauled up in the sewer Donnie used as a hiding place when the Quarrymen first showed up. I talked with him a while before he punched me, then we fought, I came to a realization about how he’d been feeling when we argue and then he asked me to leave, so I did.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up. Leo _punched_ you?” Colton hissed, trying to get Raph to look at him.

“Relax, I’m fine.” Raph snapped. “It wasn’t anything I didn’t deserve.” Letting out a sigh, Raph finally looked up at the human. “But when I came home, Donnie told me the strangest thing…” He continued, swinging his leg over the hammock so he was completely facing the human. Colton quirked a brow, taking a step back. “Remember when I told you our first time that, if we wanted to keep it secret you had to make _completely_ sure my scent was _off_ of you?”

Colton frowned. “Yeah… What’s this about Raph?”

“You didn’t wash my scent off on purpose, did you?” Raph didn’t so much as flinch when Colton gulped. “Did you, Colton?”

“I- I… Raph I didn’t-”

“You say you forgot and I swear to God we’re done.” Raph’s voice cracked at the thought, but he kept up a strong appearance as the colour drained from Colton’s face.

“You don’t mean that.” Colton stated, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from crying.

“I wish I didn’t, but you hurt my brother on purpose, Colton. I’m not sayin’ that what I did was right either, but you _deliberately_ flaunted me. You betrayed my trust, Colton. How could you DO THAT?!” The last to words came out in a scream, Raph jumping to his feet. “I asked you not to let anyone know! Yes, I was drunk, but I still asked you to do something, and you _completely_ disregarded it! Why?! Why the hell would you fucking do that?!” Placing his hands on the human’s chest, Raph shoved Colton back, sending him stumbling.

“Because I wanted you Raph!” Colton practically sobbed, tossing his hands up in the air. “Leo didn’t deserve you! All he ever did was bitch at you! He tried to force you into being something you weren’t and you two fought because of it all the time! You shouldn’t have been with him!”

Raph chuckled darkly, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “Well I’m so _fucking_ glad _you_ were there to make my _decisions_ for me! What would I have _ever_ done without you?!”  
“Oh, don’t be such a dick about it!” Colton growled. “If I hadn’t done what I did, you never would have come to your senses. You knew you wanted me, and if I hadn’t shown Leo, and he hadn’t ignored you, you never would have done anything about it!”

All Raph wanted to do was hit the human. He wanted to throw punches until Colton was a pile of mush on the floor. But he held it together long enough to take a few deep breaths and calm himself.

“I really thought you were a bigger man than that, Colton.” Raph finally said, looking up at the human with tears in his eyes. “I thought you cared more about me than that.”

Raph could see his last comment finally hit home.

“Of course I care about you, Raph…” Colton stated.

“Then why, _why_ would you betray my trust like that?” Raph asked, his own eyes filling with tears. “What else have you done to Leo? Have you been flaunting us behind my back?” Colton bit his lip. “Oh God no… You haven’t…” Tears fell down Raph’s cheeks as the human looked at the floor.

“I’m not proud of it…” Colton explained. “But I was afraid you were going to go back to him…”

“WHAT THE FUCK COLTON?!” Raph screamed, covering his face and sinking to the ground.

“I’m sorry!” Colton cried. “As soon as Leo left I knew I had done more damage than what I had intended! I didn’t mean for it to go so far, I was just so scared of losing you!”

Raph sobbed into his hands, realizing how blind he had truly been. “So you’ve been making his life miserable for the past six months?!”

“That isn’t what I meant to do!” Colton stated. “If there was any way I could go back in time and change what I have done I would… But I can’t…”

Wiping his eyes, Raph looked at the floor. “God, I can’t even _look_ at you right now…”

“Please… Raph…”

“Stop!” Raph bellowed, looking up. “Just stop! I know you feel bad… I get it… But it’s not _me_ , you need to be apologizing to.”

Colton gulped again. “Raph I can’t-”

“Yes, actually, you can.” Raph affirmed, standing up. “And you know what else you can do?” He continued, walking over to his bed and grabbing Colton’s pillow. “You can also sleep on the couch.”

“No, babe-”

“You protest and I tear off your dick. Your choice.” Solemnly, Colton walked over and took the pillow from Raph’s hand. “And I don’t want to see you when I wake up until you’ve talked with Leo. And I want proof. I don’t care how long it takes. Then I’ll _consider_ forgiving you.” Raph finished, turning his back. Colton bit back another sob, as he turned for the door. Before the human exited the room, he took one final look back at his lover. The terrapin’s shoulders were shaking as Raph tried in vain to repress more tears. Mentally kicking himself, Colton left the room, sliding the door tightly behind him.


	10. Second Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Chapter ten is finally done! I just want to reiterate that I am SO thankful to those of you who are sticking with my crazy postings. First semester is almost over so hopefully I'll be able to get more of this story done. :) But once again, thank you all! Now on to the story!!!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 3,528  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Goliath/Elisa

 

Groaning, Leo sat up. Soft rays from the setting sun drifted down from the cracks in the roof of the room, sprinkling Leo’s form with light. Smiling lightly, Leo realized that, despite having to sleep on the cold, hard ground in an unfamiliar sewer, he had gotten the best night sleep he’d had in months. He hadn’t dreamed about Colton, or Raph, or anything really. He had been completely dead to the world.

Stretching his arms above his head, Leo reached for his jacket before grabbing and apple from his bag and taking a large bite out of it. Food had taste again, he realized. It wasn’t just something his body needed to keep running anymore. It was something he could enjoy again, and he realized that, maybe, he should have left a whole lot sooner. If all it took was one confrontation with both Colton and Raph and a night away from the lair, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t gone sooner. Leo chuckled at his own wishful thinking as he took another bite out of the apple. Just because he was having one good day didn’t mean anything. 

Swinging his jacket over his shoulder, Leo climbed up to his bike and took a moment to take in the sunset. Memories flooded his mind of when he and his brothers were younger and they would sneak up to the surface to watch the sun go down before their father woke up. They had always been nocturnal out of necessity of the life they lead. It was also the best time to catch people doing things they weren’t supposed to and burn off some of the energy they’re father tried to tame every night. Leo chuckled softly to himself. The four of them hadn’t changed very much in a few short years, had they? Mikey was still the hyperactive trickster, Raph was still the argumentive hot-head, Donnie was still the enthusiastic genius and he was still his stubborn leader self. Letting out a puff of air, Leo watched the steam rise and dissipate into the air, smiling.

There was suddenly a loud roar that sounded from behind Leo’s position. Leo jumped, spinning around as more roars echoed moments after the first. He hadn’t realized how close to the Eyrie Building he was. He found himself wondering about the gargoyle from the night before, Brooklyn. He wanted to know more about him and his clan and hopefully create an alliance with them. Thinking back on it, Brooklyn had seemed so sure that he had been a bad guy and he couldn’t entirely fault the red gargoyle for that. He found himself wondering what the rest of his clan was like. Were they as willing to listen as he had been? He suddenly felt the urge to climb up the Eyrie Building to meet them.

Shaking his head, Leo mentally kicked himself. Was he crazy? He had met Brooklyn once! He highly doubted Brooklyn would appreciate it if he just showed up uninvited to his home.

An alarm sounding off in the distance shook Leo from his wonderings. He smirked to himself, tossing his apple core into the dumpster next to him. Adrenalin began pumping through his system as he started his bike and pulled on his helmet. A good fight that he purposely got himself into was just what he needed to clear his mind.

As he sped down the street, Leo was so wrapped up in his thoughts of a good fight; he didn’t even notice the red car that started to follow him.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brooklyn woke with a loud roar, stretching his wings to their full length. He could sense Goliath watching him, but he chose to ignore it, instead eliciting to head inside as quickly as possible. He chuckled as the familiar smell of Broadway’s cooking wafted up to his nostrils. Said smell had quickly been associated with the large male, and the rest of the clan had no qualms with it. Brooklyn knew most of his clan, himself included, would know how to cook if they put the effort into it, but that would require putting the effort into cooking. When Broadway was so willing to do all of the cooking, why should the rest of them take away that opportunity?

Sighing to himself, Brooklyn made directly for the coffee maker. As much energy as he usually had, it took at least one cup of coffee for him to fully wake up at night. The rest of his clan knew not to bother him before he had that first cup, however, they didn’t always listen to reason.

“Brooklyn,” Goliath’s voice called from the kitchen doorway.

“Oh my God…” Brooklyn mumbled under his breath, trying to keep himself from tossing his head back. “What’s up?” He asked as politely as he could muster, his lips twitching up into some semblance of a smile.

“May I talk to you for a minute?” Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Brooklyn nodded, trying his best not to crush the mug in his talons. “I wanted to apologize for last night,” Goliath started once they had rounded a corner away from the kitchen. Brooklyn blinked, too stunned to respond. “It was inappropriate for me to speak so openly about what I thought was going on without giving you a chance to explain. I am not inside your head, therefore I cannot possibly know how you’re really feeling. However,”

“Yup, I was waiting for that…” Brooklyn mumbled, taking a sip of his coffee.

“I did not appreciate the fact that you ran off last night without letting anyone know your plans. I-”

Raising his hand in a mocking gesture, Brooklyn cut Goliath off. “Uh, question: If I _had_ asked about going somewhere, especially last night, would you have let me go?” Brooklyn could see Goliath chewing on his lip in growing frustration and knew he would need to play his cards very carefully if he wanted to survive this encounter.

“That depends. Why did you leave last night Brooklyn? Where did you go?” Goliath questioned, his eyes narrowing.

Shrugging his shoulders, Brooklyn saw no reason to hide the truth from the leader. Well, at least not all of it. “When we came out of the police station, I saw someone clad in black pulling a motorcycle out from behind the Eyrie Building and driving off in the opposite direction. I wanted to know who they were and if they posed a threat.” The tension between the two now was almost palpable as Goliath could sense that Brooklyn was not telling him everything.

“And? What did you find out?”

Brooklyn wasn’t sure what he should say. Should he tell Goliath the truth? Or would that just cause more problems because he would have to reveal that he had confronted someone he didn’t know, who might pose a threat to them, by himself? Should he lie? Coming to the conclusion he should keep Leonardo to himself for now until he knew more about he and his family (if he ever saw him again) was an easy conclusion to come to with the daggers Goliath was staring at him.

“I couldn’t find whoever it was.” He started, taking another drink of his coffee. “He or she had already gotten too big of a head start on me by the time I started to follow. I did break up a mugging though.” Brooklyn smirked at his little addition.

“You should not have gone alone, how many times do I have to explain this?”

“Jesus Christ, do you know how much like a broken record you’re sounding?” Brooklyn was done being nice. “I was just trying to protect our family. I didn’t want to get anyone else involved. I had my radio on me, I would have radioed in if something had come up or gone wrong!”

“That does not excuse the fact that you still ran off by yourself, disobeying a direct order!”

“Goliath-”

“Hey lad, Angela is lookin’ for ye.” Brooklyn sent a silent prayer up to whoever may have been listening. “She said she wanted to talk to ya. I don’t know about what, but it seemed like it was important.”

Goliath sighed, nodding to the old soldier before turning back to Brooklyn. “We’ll finish this conversation later.” 

“Jesus Christ…” Brooklyn mumbled under his breath. “Thanks for the save Hudson.”

“While I don’t agree with everything Goliath has said to you, you should have told someone you were heading out last night.” Hudson explained, though his words held more sympathy than anything.

Brooklyn sighed. “I know. But I knew Goliath would make someone go with me and I just needed to be alone last night for a while.”

Hudson smiled, laying his hand on Brooklyn’s shoulder. “I didn’t say you had to tell Goliath.”

Brooklyn rose a brow at Hudson’s mischievous smirk. “So in other words, next time I should come to you and you’ll tell Goliath after I’m gone?” Winking at the younger male, Hudson turned on his heel and headed back for the kitchen. Brooklyn let out a chuckle as his radio began to buzz.

“Hey Brooklyn, are you there?” Brooklyn jumped at Elisa’s static-covered voice.

“Elisa?” He questioned into the device, unclipping it from his belt.

“Hey, I think you’re gonna want to come see this. I already called Xanatose and asked him to keep Goliath occupied.”

“I appreciate you greatly… Where are you?”

Elisa chuckled over the speaker as Brooklyn quickly finished his coffee, and left the mug in an area no one would notice it. “I’m about fifteen miles up north.”

“I’m on my way.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No matter what he tried, Leo couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being followed. As far as he could tell, there weren’t any cars following him, and since he was mostly taking back alleys he chalked the feeling up to just being paranoid by the adrenalin running through his system.

It didn’t take Leo long to find the source of the sirens. The three police officers that were first on the scene had already been knocked out and three figures were busy loading all the valuables they could from an armored car into a car of their own. Smirking, Leo killed the engine on his bike, took off his helmet and strapped his katana to his back. As he got closer, he blinked in confusion at what he saw. Was that a giant wolf-man? And two… cyborgs? Okay… That was new for sure.

Slinking around in the shadows, Leo was able to get into a position that allowed him to hear the conversation the three were having.

“… gone to Australia. He said he wanted to become a ‘real hero’.” The one female groaned, hefting a large bag of, what Leo assumed to be, cash into the back of their vehicle.

“Oh please. Heroes never get any recognition, or cash.” The other cyborg replied, holding up a gold block to admire. “Besides, heroes get an inflated sense of worth and once it’s taken away, they fall into despair.”

“What do you think Wolf? Think being a hero has any worth?” The third member, now pronounced Wolf, growled at the female, baring his enlarged K-9’s. “Jesus, don’t get your fur in a bunch! I was just trying to include you in the conversation…”

“Can it Hyena and do your job.” Wolf snapped.

“Hey, watch how you talk to my sister.” The two males squared off facing each other and Leo couldn’t help but laugh at their difference in size.

“Jackal, do you really want to do this with me? Remember what happened last time?” Jackal was about to respond when Leo lost his footing and sent a can rolling out into the area where the three were standing.

“ _Shit… Real smooth move Leonardo. Real smooth…_ ” He hissed to himself as Hyena’s arm unfolded into a gun. Eyes widening, Leo managed to launch himself out of the way of the laser just in time.

“Come on out now, we know you’re there. Where’s the rest of your clan?” Hyena taunted, following Leo’s silhouette spookily well with her arm.

“ _Clan?_ ” Leo wondered, slipping his katana from their holsters. Using the armored truck as a shield, Leo listened for what the three were doing. From what he could tell, two of them were advancing around the truck to try and trap him and one of them had stayed put, but he couldn’t be sure. Slinking around to his right, Leo waited until he was sure there was someone on the other side of the truck before lunging out with a left uppercut. He caught Wolf square in the jaw sending him stumbling backwards onto the ground. As far as he could tell Wolf was out, but he decided to put some distance between the two of them just in case.

“Going somewhere?” Leo used his katana to block the metal claws that came down at his head. “You’ve got good reflexes. Tell me, what lab were _you_ cooked up in?” Leo growled at the comment, shoving Jackal away from himself and taking up a defensive stance. “Were you human once too like my friend you knocked out over there, or were you something else?” Leo chuckled. Now he knew exactly who these clowns were. They were the remaining members of The Pack, a once television famous group of ‘heroes’ turned real villains. He remembered Mikey watching their show every Sunday morning. They had even managed to sneak into the live showing a few years ago. Shortly after that Wolf and Fox had been put in jail, the others had followed soon after, then the group broke up and these three were the only evil ones left.

Leo managed to dodge Hyena’s claws coming at him from behind, but his dodge put him in range for Jackal’s claws, and he couldn’t quite dodge them. Three claws made contact with his neck, cutting just deep enough that they drew blood. He hissed, feeling the blood run down his neck and staining his gray tank top.

“Alright, I’ll give you credit for the teamwork,” Leo admonished, gripping his katana tighter. “But a sneak attack, really? Are you that afraid of me?”

Hyena let out a cackle. “Don’t flatter yourself, _freak_.”

“Oh, _I’m_ the freak? That really means a lot coming from the cyborg.” Hyena lunged out at him with her claws, abandoning skill and tactics for speed and force. Inwardly rolling his eyes, Leo easily blocked the attack with one katana, and brought the other one down across her forearm, severing the robotic limb and sending it to the ground with a clatter. “Huh… I guess there was a reason for you to be scared of me.” Leo taunted as Hyena howled with rage.

“I just got that arm you bastard!” Snorting, Leo braced for the attack he knew was coming from Jackal. This was going to be fun after all.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elisa watched with bated breath as the, she almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing, giant turtle fought with Jackal and Hyena. He, she assumed, had a fair advantage on the two criminals, and seemed to know what he was doing. It almost looked like he was a master in some sort of martial arts, but she was too far away to tell for sure.

“Hey, what’s going on?” At the sound of Brooklyn’s voice, she turned from her position next to her car.

“I found that anonymous caller.” She stated.

“What? Really?!” Brooklyn sounded almost excited and Elisa had to chuckle at that.

“Yeah, I’ve been following him around all night and he’s currently holding his own against Jackal and Hyena.” Motioning to where she had been watching, Brooklyn walked over and crouched next to the human.

“Damn he’s good… So what rock did those two jokers crawl out from under?”

“I have no idea.” Elisa admitted, cringing at the sound of the turtle’s sword making contact with what little skin Jackal had left. “I’ve been trying to keep track of them, but they pop up so infrequently and without warning it makes tracking them almost impossible. In fact, I didn’t even know about this armored car until I got the call that someone had attacked it.”

Brooklyn grunted in acknowledgement, his emerald eyes locking onto the movements of Leonardo. He moved so gracefully, so effortlessly, it was beautiful. His body knew he liked what he saw, but he refused to let his mind believe it.

 

_No, bad dog, Brooklyn! You can’t start thinking like that about someone you barely know…_

 

But as hard as he tried, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Leonardo. That is, until movement behind the armored car caught his attention. Finally tearing his eyes away from the fighting turtle, Brooklyn caught sight of Wolf, crouched low, and waiting for an opening to attack.

“Oh shit, Wolf’s here too?!” Brooklyn hissed.

“I didn’t even know he was still in New York!” Elisa responded.

“Leo doesn’t even know he’s up… Shit!” Without his instruction, Brooklyn’s legs moved of their own volition, carrying him around the armored car. He quickly scaled the metal siding, easily finding Wolf and jumping down on the unsuspecting mutant. Wolf howled with rage, swinging his arm back and barely missing Brooklyn’s jaw.

Leo looked up in shock as he dodged Jackal and Hyena’s joint attack.

“Brooklyn?” He questioned, jumping up and preforming a split kick, knocking both cyborgs out.

Brooklyn grinned up at the mutant, slamming Wolf’s head into the ground and knocking him out as well.

“What’s up?” He chuckled in response. “It seems to me like you now owe me two times over.”

Leo laughed at that, sheathing his katana. “Yeah, I guess I do. If this becomes a regular occurrence I may have to file for harassment.

“I could take your statement.” Leo jumped at the female’s voice.

“Leo, this is Elisa Masa. She’s the detective friend I was telling you about last night.”

“Detective Masa?” Leo asked, earning nods from both human and gargoyle. “You were the detective on my friend April O’Neill’s case when her store burned down! That’s why I recognized your name last night!”

Brooklyn blushed a little. “Now I feel bad for getting so defensive when you asked for her last name.”

“Awe, you got defensive over me?” Elisa teased, elbowing Brooklyn in the side.

“Shut-up Elisa…” But Brooklyn chuckled all the same.

The three jumped when Goliath’s voice broke over Elisa’s radio.

“Elisa, have you seen Brooklyn?!”

Brooklyn groaned with malcontent. “Can’t he leave me alone for five minutes?” He whined.

“I got this.” Elisa stated, pulling the radio from her pocket. “Yes, honey, he’s with me. I called Xanatose and he said you were busy so I asked Brooklyn for some help. It’s nothing you need to worry about, just a few robberies. I’ll have him back by sunrise.” Brooklyn folded his hands, making a show of silently thanking the human making Elisa chuckled.

“Alright… Just be careful.” Goliath responded.

“Always am. I love you.” There was a moment of static before the radio signal was turned off.

“Awe, he’s shy.” Brooklyn taunted, barely missing the punch Elisa threw at him.

“So, April, you’re friends with her?” Elisa asked as she turned back to Leo, tossing another punch at Brooklyn when he wasn’t paying attention.

“Yeah.” Leo chuckled, grinning as Brooklyn rubbed his arm. “Long story short we saved her from these robots her previous boss had created and turned on her when she started asking questions.”

“Sounds like fun times. Does anyone else know about you – wow I feel like I’m back in my first meeting with Goliath…”

Brooklyn laughed. “Well, I’d say this meeting is less intimidating than the last one.”

“That, and I’m not falling off a roof.” The two laughed as Leo shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. “Sorry Leo, totally cut you off.”

“It’s okay… There are a couple other humans we’re friends with but other than that my family and I are a well-kept secret, and we’d like to keep it that way…” Leo responded.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I kept these guys a secret for two and a half years before someone else revealed their existence.” Elisa explained, motioning to Brooklyn.

“Sorry, that wasn’t supposed to come off as me not trusting you, though part of me is wondering why I’m being so trusting…” Leo mused, chuckling all the same.

Elisa smiled, pulling out her phone as it began to buzz. “Well boys, duty calls. Matt’s on his way with a team to pick up the jokers over there and you two had better be gone by then. It’s still a little difficult to explain about Brooklyn there, and it would be even more difficult with a giant turtle.”

Leo nodded. “There’s an alley way just over there that we can watch from. Make sure those three don’t cause any trouble if they wake up.” He stated, motioning to the alley he had parked his bike.

“Good. Stay there until the coast is clear.” Brooklyn and Leo nodded both turning and heading for the alley.


	11. Trading Numbers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God I finally have another chapter done! It seems like it's about every three months I get one out... I'm really sorry everyone. I wish I could get these out more regularly but school is kicking my ass. I'm really trying to get more chapters written but it's just not happening quickly. But thank you to all of you who are sticking with me!!! I love all of you so much!!!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,888  
Rating PG-13   
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: N/A

 

“That cut looks pretty bad.” Brooklyn commented, landing in the alley next to Leonardo.

Turning to look at the gargoyle, Leo chuckled lightly. “Nah, it just looks really bad. I bet they won’t even scar…” He stated, running his fingers over the scrapes.

“You sure? They look like they’re still bleeding really badly…”

“They’re not.” To emphasize his point, Leo swiped his hand over the cuts, wiping away the blood that had already been spilled, but revealing that the scrapes had already started to scab over. “My brothers and I tend to heal quickly.”

“I can see that.” Brooklyn hummed, cocking his head to get a better look at the scrapes. “Jackal and Hyena’s claws are no joke. I have my fair share of scars from them.”

Leo chuckled again. “Trust me, I’m no stranger to scars.”

Brooklyn grinned. “I can imagine. Who taught you to fight like that anyway? The way you did back in the alley and here just now.”

Sirens screeched by as backup came to help Elisa detain the Pack. “Well… That’s a… That’s a long story…” Leo bit his lip, wondering if he should be divulging so much information to the gargoyle standing in front of him. True, he had saved his life twice, and it wasn’t like he was going to turn Leo and his family into the humans. Or, at least Leo hoped. Maybe…

The sound of a familiar voice startled Leo out of his wonderings. He cautiously peeked around the wall of the alley only to be met with one of the few sights that made his blood turn cold. Agent Bishop was one of the most cunning men he knew and Leo did _not_ like the idea of him getting his hands on the Pack, fabricated cyborgs and mutate or not.

“What’s going on?” Brooklyn asked, using his larger height to peek over Leo’s head.

“That guy in the suit means bad news.” Leo hissed back, his back teeth grinding as he tried to keep himself from jumping out and taking Bishop out on the spot.

“What do you mean?”

“Bishop’s figured out a way to transfer his consciousness into clones of his body over, and over again. The only problem is, the clones-”

“Let me guess, the clones continue to deteriorate at a more and more rapid pace with each transfer.”

Leo’s hackles raised as he backed up away from the gargoyle. “How the hell did you know that?”

Brooklyn raised his hands in submission. “Sorry, that was a bad call on my part.” He apologized as Leo continued to give him a wary look. “The man who brought my clan and I back from Scotland, David Xanatos, and who we now live with used to have a vision of becoming immortal. At one point he enlisted the help some independent government agents who I’m now assuming where you’re friends over there.” Leo’s shoulders relaxed as Brooklyn continued to explain. “When Xanatose eventually realized that the agents’ technology was faulty, he cut ties with them. Shortly after my clan and I moved back into the castle, one of us, Lexington, was approached by this Bishop guy for assistance on improving his technology but Lex turned him down. Looks like now that was a good idea…” Brooklyn finished, turning back to watch Bishop converse with Elisa.

“We _can’t_ let him take the Pack!” Leo hissed, stepping forward, an anxious glint in his eye. “If he figures out how to combine the technology that transformed them with his technology, he could become virtually unstoppable!” Brooklyn nodded his agreement as he pulled out his radio and called for Elisa.

Elisa excused herself from her conversation with Bishop and seemed to be quite relieved when she answered. “Brooklyn, this guy gives me the creeps. I can’t tell what his agenda is, but whatever it is, I don’t like it at all.”

Leo grimaced at the news as Brooklyn continued to watch Bishop’s movements. “Look Elisa, Leo says that it would be a _really_ bad thing if Bishop got ahold of the Pack and however they were mutated.”

“I agree but the problem is, according to him, the FBI has warrants for them and there’s not much I can do to override that.”

“Hang on,” Leo started, cutting off Brooklyn’s growl of annoyance. “I think I can help with that.” Pulling out his Shell Cell, Leo quickly dialed Donnie’s number and prayed the genius would hear his phone for once and actually pick up.

“ _Leo?_ ” Came Donnie’s tired voice from the other end of the line.

“Donnie, thank God!” Leo sighed. “I need you to do something for me.”

Leo could practically _feel_ Donnie’s brow raise. “ _Oka-ay. Mind giving me a few more details then that?_ ”

“Watch it smartass,” Leo warned, looking back around the corner and he was suddenly aware of just how close he and Brooklyn were and it churned a weird feeling in his gut. “Look, I promise I will explain everything later, but I need you to figure out a way to make a local police warrant higher in priority than an FBI one.”

“ _Jesus Leo, I many know how to do a lot with computers but that doesn’t make me a miracle worker!_ ” Donnie groaned, but Leo could hear his chair rolling across the floor of his office.

“Don, did you fall asleep in your office again?”

There was a long pause with the clicking of keys in the background. “ _Maybe…_ ”

“Dammit Don…”

“ _Okay Leo, I’m in the NYPD’s database, but I need to know what I’m trying to override._ ”

“Okay look, Bishop’s here and he’s trying to get his hands on the Pack.”

“ _You mean the jokers who were stupid enough to think, because they were on a TV show, they could try to become real heroes and just ended up turning themselves into villains instead?_ ”

“I can feel the incredulity I your tone and I don’t appreciate it, Donatello.” Leo smirked as he knew Don was rolling his eyes. “The only members left are Jackal, Hyena and Wolf, and they’ve… Changed…”

“ _Changed? How so?_ ”

“Well the siblings have turned themselves into cyborgs, and Wolf has become… Well… a… wolf…”

“ _What like a mutate?!_ ” Under normal circumstanced, Leo knew Donnie would be jumping up and down at the thought of a human becoming a successful mutate, but Don knew this was not the time to go all science fan-boy.

“Yeah, exactly like a mutate.”

“ _And Bishop’s trying to get his hands on them?!_ ” Leo could hear Don’s fingers pick up their pace on his keyboard.

“Exactly why we need the police to keep custody of them and not Bishop.”

“ _Well fuck..._ ” Leo almost snorted at Donnie’s use of the work ‘fuck’. True, Donnie used it more than he did, but Leo still found it funny. “There. The police should be able to assume custody of those three with no problem now.”

“Thanks Don. You’re a life saver.” Leo grinned, winking and Brooklyn as the gargoyle radioed to Elisa the news.

“ _No problem bro. Oh, and Leo,_ ”

“Yeah?”

“ _Stay safe okay. I have something to talk to you about at a better time._ ”

Leo frowned but agreed to call his brother back when everything had settled down before hanging up and watching as Bishop stormed of in defeat. 

“Nothing makes me happier than seeing that man disheveled and angry.” Leo smirked as Bishop’s car sped off down the street.

“I have to say I feel pretty satisfied myself.” Brooklyn agreed as Elisa slipped around the corner of alley.

“Do I even want to know how you managed to get a warrant for us that trumped the FBI’s?” She asked, eyeing each male in turn.

“Probably not cause it was probably really illegal…” Leo admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

Elisa giggled, placing a hand on the turtle’s shoulder. “Trust me, not everything they do is exactly legal either.” She stated motioning to Brooklyn. Brooklyn gave her a ‘who, me?’ look, earning an eye roll. “You know Leo, we sure could benefit from your help every now and then.” Elisa said, turning back to the turtle. “You seem to have a lot of connections that the gargoyles and I are only just starting to form.”

Leo couldn’t help the scoff the escaped his throat. “If you consider an ex-vigilante, an antique store owner, a high school dropout and her brother connections then sure, I have connections.”

“Sounds like a good Friday night.” Brooklyn chuckled, earning a punch to the shoulder.

“Be nice.” Elisa hissed. “So did one of them hack into the police systems? I’m assuming that’s what he or she did, am I right?”

Leo nodded. “Yeah but it was actually my brother who did that.”

“How old is your brother?”

“Twenty-two.”

Elisa pursed her lips. “Well there goes my self-esteem…” Leo grinned, knowing exactly how the human felt. “Either way, do you think you and your family would be willing to help us out more often?”

Leo bit his lip in contemplation. He was willing to help that’s for sure. But asking his family for help would mean going home and he wasn’t sure he was ready to do that. “Look… Things are a little… complicated right now… Let me put it this way,” He started, turning back to the pair. “I’ll help out in whatever way I can right now but I don’t know about the rest of my family. I… Can’t exactly go home right now… For my own personal reasons.”

Elisa nodded, pulling out her phone. “That’s more than I could have hoped for! Here, we should exchange numbers so I can get ahold of you.”

“Oh I see how it is, the new guy gets your number but I have a shitty radio that doesn’t work half the time. I feel the love there is not.” Brooklyn smirked, shuffling back from another fist.

“Jesus you are like a five year old child!” Elisa chuckled, taking her phone back when Leo handed it back to her. “How about this, when you get a job that can pay for a phone and its bill, _then_ we can trade numbers.”

“Where the hell am _I_ gonna get a job?” Brooklyn countered with a smirk.

“You live with a billionaire, I’m sure you could clean the castle for an allowance.”

“Yeah, _that’s_ gonna happen.” Brooklyn snorted earning a chuckle from Elisa.

The three jumped when the sound of metal tearing called through the alley. Elisa spun around, only to see all of her men down and The Pack gone.

“Every goddamned time!” Elisa yelled, kicking the dirt. “I swear to fucking God the next time I see them I’m killing them! I can never keep them behind bars or locked up in any way!”

Brooklyn and Leo shared ‘oh shit’ glances, trying not to chuckle as Elisa fumed.

“I don’t want you to take my head off, but if it helps I managed to get a tracker on Jackal…” Leo offered, jumping when Elisa spun around.

“This is why he gets my number Brooklyn.” Elisa stated, sliding up next to Leo as he pulled up the signal on his Shell Cell.

“If we’re lucky they’ll lead us right to where their base is.” Leo smirked, watching the red dot movie east.

“Leo, you get shot gun.”


	12. Not So Easy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God you guys, I meant to have this out over a month ago, but life got crazy, I got a new computer and I lost some data so I had to find that again and just a clusterfuck of horrible shit. But I'm back now and I really hope to get a few more chapters out here soon! Thank you again to all of you who are supporting me and continuing to read! :3

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,110  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Brooklyn/Leo mutual, unspoken attraction, but no relationship

 

As the car sped down the road, Leo kept a close eye on his shell cell. He had been concerned only for a moment of someone outside the vehicle seeing him until he noticed how tinted Elisa’s windows were.

“I had those installed shortly after I met the gargoyles just in case I needed to give one of them a ride.” Elisa explained, following Leo’s directions better than any of this brothers ever had.

“I personally think she should have gotten a bigger vehicle…” Brooklyn groaned from the backseat, shifting uncomfortably as he tried to move his weight off his wings that were folded around his shoulders.

“Hey, I love you guys, but I’m only willing to go so far. I happen to like my car, and you all will just have to deal.” Brooklyn rolled his eyes but chuckled none the less. “How much farther are they?” The human asked, taking a sharp turn before Leo had a chance to tell her to do so. Yeah, she was a way better driver than his brothers.

“It doesn’t look like they’re very far,” Leo commented. “They’ve stopped moving but it looks like they’re inside a building.”

“Underneath it is more likely.” Brooklyn corrected, leaning forward to look at the screen of the phone. “Wait a minute, isn’t that the old Hotel Cabal?” He asked, watching as the group pulled up in front of the old building. The siding was falling off and the sign lights had long since gone out, but there was no doubt that it was the old hotel.

“Well I’ll be damned…” Elisa muttered parking her car in front of the building. “This is more than just a little spooky… You don’t think Xanatose could be behind this, do you?”

“Nah. I think he’s proven himself enough now. Besides, he’s stated more than once just in passing that he hates his membership in the Illuminati.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait, back up. Illuminati? You mean they aren’t just a stupid internet meme now? They’re still real?” Leo gaped, looking up at the broken sign of the large hotel.

“Unfortunately.” Brooklyn muttered as dark clouds started to fill the sky. “They’ve been playing both sides of what they ‘affectionately’ call the War on Gargoyles for a while now. They supplied both sides with information, basically keeping everyone at a stand-still as they rolled in the profits of their scheme.” Leo cringed at the distain in Brooklyn’s tone. He couldn’t blame the gargoyle for being so pissed. He knew full well what it was like to have someone you thought was your ally playing both sides of the coin. That was part of the reason he wanted to catch the remaining members of The Pack before Bishop got them. No doubt he would use them as leverage against he and his brothers, but now that Leo knew the connection to the gargoyles, he figured Bishop would probably put two and two together and use that to his advantage as well.

“So what’s the plan?” Leo asked, slipping his phone back in his pocket. “You two are the experts on The Pack, so you probably know more about what to do than I.” Leo frowned when Brooklyn blinked at him in confusion. “What?”

“Sorry,” Brooklyn said, shaking his head. “I’m just not used to someone actually asking about a plan if it’s just me around. Usually no one listens to my plans, unless Goliath is around and has specifically put me in charge…”

Leo bit back a laugh as he turned away from the gargoyle. “I understand that.”

“I think our best bet is to start by figuring out what they’ve done with this place.” Elisa stated. “Last I knew this place was fitted with special keys to open the doors. If you didn’t use a key there were all sorts of traps set up. Each room was different and only a key could deactivate it. I have no idea if those traps are still in effect.”

“I would doubt it.” Brooklyn countered, slipping out of the car and stretching his wings with a sigh of relief. “Once the news of Mace Malone’s disappearance reached the Illuminati, they decided to wait until he was for sure dead in that Hotel before they shut it down. They got the information from Matt that Malone dropped his key down the elevator shaft and Xanatose was part of the decision to let the old man die… Okay that sounds really bad when I say it out loud…”

“You’ve been talking a lot to Xanatose, haven’t you?” Elisa smirked, also stepping out of the car. “Got a little man-crush?” She teased.

Brooklyn choked on his gag-reflex. “Oh my God, hell no! Fuck that’s disgusting! No, he has these conversations with Owen… Puck… whoever the fuck he is, a lot when we’re around now. He apparently doesn’t care what we know now which is just another reason why I’m pretty sure he isn’t in on this.”

Leo looked back and forth between the two friends. He couldn’t tell what exactly their relationship leveled up to, but he enjoyed listening to their banter. They seemed to be comfortable around one another. It was a level of comfort that he only saw between himself and April. Even Don didn’t have such a close relationship with the human, even after having a crush on her for so long and having a few flings with the red-head. He supposed it made sense from the stand point of Don’s paranoia, but it still surprised the blue-clad turtle.

Slipping his hands into his pockets, Leo found himself watching Brooklyn flex his wings. The large appendages were rather beautiful and Leo almost wondered for a moment if they felt like regular skin or if they were more leathery. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

 

_You really want to get yourself into another mess like that again?_

 

Leo hissed to himself, shaking his head and frowning.

 

_That’s the whole reason you’re out here in the first place you fool! Don’t get caught up like that again! Okay, sure, Brooklyn is attractive… And his voice is really smooth and sultry… I kind of like the way my name sounds when he says it… Oh Goddammit! What the hell?!_

 

Leo bit his lip and hurried to catch up to the two as they had started walking while Leo was battling down his hormones.

“--first move is to find out where they are.” Brooklyn said once Leo caught back up.

“But there are thousands of rooms in there,” Elisa countered. “How in God’s name are we going to find them?”

“Can your phone help us inside the building?” Brooklyn asked, turning back to Leo.

“Yeah, I think so…” Leo responded, pulling his phone back out of his pocket and bringing up the tracker. Elisa was correct, there were _a lot_ of rooms in this building. Punching a few buttons, Leo managed to pull up the floor plan of the building. “Looks like, at least Jackal, is on the third floor. I won’t be able to tell what room until we get there, but at least it’s a start.”

“Just keep your wits about you.” Elisa instructed as she pulled her fire arm from the holster at her side. “The last thing we need is to get separated in here…”

As the trio pushed the main door open, the smell of decay wafted over them. Leo grimaced, using his sleeve to cover is snout as they pushed forward.

“How could this place smell that bad after only a few years?” Brooklyn grumbled, using one of his wings to try and shield his nose from the smell.

“Oh God, I don’t know.” Elisa responded, her eye watering as she tried not to focus on the smell. “But it’s getting stronger.”

As they rounded a corner, a decaying corpse came into view, one of its hands latched onto the knob of the ajar door in front of him.

“Well I think we just found Mace Malone…” Brooklyn muttered. “Poor bastard… He was close to the main door too…”

“Speaking of which…” Elisa mumbled, stepping over to one of the doors on the opposite side of the hall. “We should make sure this place has been deactivated.” Opening the door, Elisa was greeted with a plain hotel room. No fancy furnishings or anything, just a simple room. Opening a few more doors yielded the same result, giving the confirmation that the hotel had been shut down.

“How the hell are we gonna get back out? Even with all of the traps deactivated, this place is a damn maze.” Elisa stated, as Brooklyn skirted around Malone’s body, followed closely behind by Leo as they two followed the female human.

“Easy; we’ll go out a window.” Brooklyn answered with a smirk.

“Okay smart ass, only one of us has wings.”

“I can carry both of you!” Brooklyn protested.

“You may be strong enough to hold us both but while flying is another story.” Elisa grinned back, punching Brooklyn in the arm.

“Well we could just make the new-comer fend for himself.” Brooklyn teased, jabbing a thumb back at Leo.

“Do you want my help or not?” Leo teased back, also throwing a punch at Brooklyn’s arm.

“What is this, abuse the gargoyle night?” Brooklyn complained, rubbing his arm. “I’m gonna have a bruise by the end of the night.”

“Cry baby.” Elisa chuckled, peeking into a stairwell before motioning for Brooklyn and Leo to follow her.

“So what do we do when we get up there?” Leo asked, becoming antsy with the situation. “Because it seemed almost too easy to follow them.”

“What do you mean?” Elisa asked, stopping her upward movement on the stairs to look back at the turtle.

“I mean they came to a place you two knew.” Leo clarified. “Sure, it was a place you hadn’t been to in a long time or thought about, but it was still somewhere you had passed dealings in. And sure, I didn’t make it obvious that I placed a tracker on Jackal, but with all of his computerized parts he should have been able to tell it was there by now, but it’s still active.” To emphasize his point, Leo showed the human his phone. The red dot was indeed still active, and moving around on the third floor, so Jackal clearly hadn’t taken it off. “It just seems really odd to me.”

“You’re smart.” A female voice echoed through the stairwell, making the group jump. “This isn’t gonna be as fun now.”

“Fucking really…?” Brooklyn groaned, snapping his wings out as Hyena jumped down from the ceiling. “Your attempts at sneak attacks are really getting old.”

“And yet they keep working.”

“The first one worked. None of the rest have.” Hyena growled, losing control and lunging at Brooklyn. The gargoyle smirked, stepping out of the way and letting Hyena tumble down the stairs.

“Filthy beast!” She hissed, crab walking back up the stairs. The group jumped up onto the railings, Hyena moving too quickly to stop on a dime and crashing into the wall at the top of the landing.

“Wow.” Brooklyn snorted. “You guys just keep getting more and more pathetic.”

“Should you really be antagonizing her?” Leo asked, a grin spreading across his own lips none-the-less.

“Oh come on, there’s nothing she can do to get an advantage.” Hyena shrieked, her fingers folding back on her hand to reveal a gun protruding from her palm.

“Okay, that’s gross…” Leo groaned as Hyena began firing on them. The trio quickly dove off the railings, Brooklyn and Elisa landing on the stair case below them, while Leo shimmied his way up the railing.

“Get back here!” Hyena hissed, looking over the railing in the direction Brooklyn and Elisa had gone, not realizing Leo was behind her until he swung up from his position hanging on the railing, hitting her square between her shoulder blades, and sending her over the railing. She didn’t even have time to scream before her head hit the floor knocking her out. Leaning against the railing, Leo leaned over to smirk at Brooklyn and Elisa as Hyena groaned, blood trickling from a cut on her head.

“You’re good…” Brooklyn grinned, raising a brow ridge at the turtle.

“Well, a lifetime of training will do that.” Leo responded as Elisa started walking back up the stairs.

“Just another reason Leo gets my number, Brooklyn.” Elisa stated again, she and Leo continuing up the stairs as Brooklyn jumped back up onto the railing. Rolling his eyes, Brooklyn followed, trying not to concentrate on how Leo’s ass looked in those leather pants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, ha! We're starting to see come attraction! But we have a ways to go until the actual relationship! So bear with me! Love you all!!! <3


	13. Time's Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I did it, I actually got two chapters out within a week of one another. I feel very accomplished! Enjoy!!!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,298  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Brooklyn/Leo mutual, unspoken attraction

 

The trio moved up the stairwell of the building steadily, hyper aware of their surroundings with each step they took.

“You said the third floor, right?” Elisa asked, looking back to Leo.

“Yeah. Looks like he’s still moving around though. It’ll be hard to pinpoint exactly where he is.”

“I’m sure that’ll be easy. It’s obviously a set up since Hyena was waiting for us back on the first floor.” Brooklyn chuffed, his wings flowing in the soft breeze their upward motion was creating.

 

_Alright, fine, I admit it… His wings are really attractive…_

 

Leo grinned to himself. It didn’t hurt to just find people attractive, right? In reality he’d probably never be alone with the gargoyle anyway, so there would never be time for any stronger feelings to grow. Besides, he knew better than that now.

“We’re here.” Elisa stated, slipping between the door and its frame as she held her gun at the ready. “Is he behind the door?” She asked.

“No, you’re clear.” Leo responded, stepping up next to Brooklyn.

“Alright then, let’s do this.” Opening the door, the trio were greeted with a dark hallway, much darker than any of the previous.

“I don’t like this…” Leo mumbled, looking back down at his phone. “Jackal’s moving in too linear a pattern.” Brooklyn frowned, twisting back to look at Leo’s phone. “He’s staying in this general area,” Leo explained. “He generally starts at the far left and zig-zags across the hall to the top right, and back down. It’s almost like he’s attached the tracker to something.”

“So in other words, if we go to the tracker, we’re walking right into a trap?” Brooklyn confirmed, growling under his breath.

“Should we call in the rest of the clan?” Elisa asked, backtracking to the two males. 

“I’m not sure they’d get here in time.”

“Besides, that’s probably what they _want_ you to do.” Leo added. “Basically our only option is to look from room to room.” The room to Leo’s left was already open, and through the window that was ajar, he was able to hear another vehicle pulling up to the hotel. “Ah, shell…” He groaned, recognizing the sleek build of the vehicle immediately.

“What?” Brooklyn questioned, having heard the car too and looked out the window.

“Time’s up.”

“That doesn’t-”

“That’s Bishop down there,” Leo stated, panic edging into his voice. “We _don’t_ want to be caught in this building with him. He already knows about me, and he’s going to know about you two soon enough. It would be better if he _didn’t_ meet you face-to-face right now. Tight places and Bishop don’t go well together.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Brooklyn asked as Elisa edged over to the window to peek out and see what was going on.

“We go up.”

“Only one of us can fly.” Elisa commented, walking back over and holstering her weapon.

“Trust me, I can get down on my own.” Elisa gave Leo an incredulous look. “Look, we need to go _now_! You’re just going to have to trust me.” Leo looked from Elisa to Brooklyn and received nods from both. The trio quickly moved back into the stairwell and started upwards as fast as they could move. When they heard the first floor door open, Brooklyn took Elisa on his back and began climbing the wall while Leo swung himself with graceful dexterity from railing to railing. That dexterity did not go unnoticed to the gargoyle, especially when Leo swung up passed him and continued moving upwards. The hotel was easily fifty stories tall and by the time the trio had made it up to the roof, even Leo was winded.

It took both Leo and Brooklyn’s full strength to force the roof access door open. The hinges were so rusted from years of neglect, the whole door nearly clattered to the ground. Leo was able to slow the fall to keep the door from making a noticeable clatter, but he tweaked his wrist in the process. Growling under his breath, he followed Brooklyn and Elisa over to the edge of the building.

“Good, they parked on the other side of the building from my car…” Elisa muttered as she peeked over the edge of the building.

“No, you can’t take your car yet.” Leo countered, rubbing his throbbing wrist.

“What? Why not?”

“Because if Bishop hears you drive off, he’ll have someone follow you and then he’ll learn everything about you.”

Elisa swallowed thickly, looking over the side of the building again. “Okay. We should head to my apartment. I’ll send you the address Leo.” Stepping over to Brooklyn, Elisa turned back to Leo. “And if anything happens to my car, I’m holding you personally responsible.” She grinned, gasping when Brooklyn picked her up and took off into the night.

Leo watched until the two disappeared out of sight before heading back into the building. He needed to find out what Bishop wanted with The Pack. Checking to make sure his phone was on silent, Leo made his way inside.

“—happened here?! You were supposed to catch them!” Bishop’s voice boomed through the halls as Leo slunk back down to the third floor.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but there was another element.” Jackal hissed back.

“Another element? What other element?” Bishop’s tone wasn’t friendly. He wanted answers, and he was willing to do anything to get satisfactory ones.

“There was a third person. Or not really person. He was a giant turtle.”

_Shit… Now Bishop knows I was with Elisa and Brooklyn…_

 

Leo cringed at the silence that filled the room. He could practically _hear_ the gears turning in Bishop’s head.

“Did you by chance see what colour mask this turtle was wearing?” That was Bishop’s triumphant tone. Not a good tone to hear.

“Blue? Why the hell does that matter?!” Jackal was just as frustrated as Bishop. Perhaps the agent had finally met his match of wills. Would have been about time.

“Just curious.”

“You’re not saying there’s _more_ of those things we have to worry about, are you?”

“You just do what you’re told. Information will be given to you when you need it.” Leo could hear Bishop and his men walking towards the door he was listening through. He scrambled as quickly and quietly as he could back into the shadows of the dark stair well.

Leo watched anxiously as Bishop and his men walked out of the third story hall and to the stairs heading up. Bishop stopped just short of the steps and pulled out his phone, punching in a few buttons before pausing and looking up. Leo’s heart skipped a beat when Bishop turned towards the area he was hidden. For what seemed like hours, but couldn’t have been more than a few, agonizingly tense seconds, Bishop’s steely eyes scanned the area. Leo was sure he hadn’t made a sound.

It seemed that Bishop was about to walk over to where Leo was when his phone buzzed, drawing his attention. The agent’s eyes widened behind his glasses before he dashed up to the stairs. Leo waited until he heard a door slam shut before he slipped into the third story hall, and out the open window he had first heard Bishop come from.

Heart pounding in his throat, Leo landed in the darkness of the alleyway. Either he was getting sloppier, or Bishop was getting sharper. He didn’t like either of those scenarios.

Pulling out his phone, Leo plugged in the address Elisa had sent him. It wasn’t that far. He waited until he was sure no one was following or watching him. Then he moved off into the night, sticking to the shadows, his brain in turmoil of what Bishop could be up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will admit, this isn't my _best_ work. I was having a little trouble figuring out what to do with this scene. I think I got it though? Let me know in the comments!


	14. Moral Loop Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! A little shorter chapter but inspiration struck and I finally had time to write since moving into my dorm! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 973  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; pain fetish referenced  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Leo sneaking looks at Brooklyn ;)

 

“Bad news,” Leo started as he slipped in through the open window of Elisa’s apartment.

“That’s a great way to enter someone’s home.” Elisa smirked.

Leo chuckled in spite of himself. “Bishop is working with your friends.”

“Well that’s fantastic…” Brooklyn grumbled, his chin resting against his hand. His wings were folded over his shoulders as he sat at Elisa’s kitchen table. The two males shared a moment of eye contact before Elisa broke in.

“So how bad is this really?” She asked, motioning for Leo to sit down as she moved to shift the tea kettle off its burner.

“Depends on what his motive is.” Leo explained, sitting down, forgetting he wasn’t wearing his shell. He gasped a little as he fell farther back than expected. Brooklyn smirked at him, amusement twinkling in his emerald eyes, but didn’t say anything. Leo blushed slightly. “I can only assume that his plan has something to do with the gargoyles.” Brooklyn shifted uncomfortably at the statement. “He’s always been crafty and generally seems to be one step ahead of me, which, suffice it to say, is something I’m not used to.” Elisa chuckled. “But, unfortunately, we won’t know what he’s up to until he puts his plan into motion, unless we can manage to find where he’s hiding out these days and break in. Though that would be ill-advised…”

“So we just have to sit and wait?” Brooklyn grumbled, crossing his arms.

Leo grinned. “How often have you tangled with the Pack?”

“More often than I’d care to remember. Why?”

“How often have you won?”

“In the end we always have… What are you getting at here?”

Chewing on his tongue in contemplation, Leo’s leg began to bounce. “We may be able to use the Pack to get to Bishop’s plan… How far did Jackal and Hyena go when they became cyborgs?”

“It’s hard to say really.” Elisa offered, setting three mugs of tea down on the table. “They definitely replaced all of their limbs, that much we can tell. However, Jackal may have had an eye implant, Hyena some ear implants, but we haven’t been able to tell for sure how far into their bodies they went.”

“If they went far enough in, there would be different logs of, places they’ve been, file savings, maybe even some memory links.”

 

“You’re thinking of hacking into one of their _brains_?!” Elisa gaped.

“Well, not _me_ , but my brother could do it.” Leo inwardly cringed at the thought of going home right now, but that seemed to be the best option. “But my main concern would be ethics. No matter how bad or how far they’ve gone, torture is an _absolute_ last resort, and I rarely even choose to _consider_ it. But with Bishop in play, I’m worried I may _have_ to…”

The room fell into a contemplative silence, the only noise coming from the street below through the still open window.

“Look, I’m with you on the morality, or rather _im_ morality of torture,” Brooklyn finally broke the silence, running his talons through his hair, his tail twitching in agitation, occasionally brushing against Leo’s leg. “But it’s not like Jackal and Hyena still fall under the full definition of _human_ anymore…”

“They’re still sentient beings.” Leo interjected, absentmindedly stirring his tea.

“I know that, but as far as I have been able to tell, they don’t exactly feel pain the same way everyone else does. In fact, Hyena seems to get off on it.” Leo quirked a brow, a smirk playing at his lips.

“Besides, torture _rarely _achieves reliable information. Usually the victims tell as believable a lie as they can in order to make the pain stop.” Elisa added.__

“We could very well use Hyena’s apparent… _interest_ in pain to our advantage though…” Brooklyn could practically see the gears turning in Leo’s head and I reminded him, albeit a little eerily, of himself. “If she gets off on pain, it wouldn’t necessarily be _immoral_ to inflict some if we had to…” 

“A loop hole.” Elisa chuckled, taking a sip of her tea before looking a Brooklyn. “We’re keeping him. I like the way he thinks.” Brooklyn and Leo chuckled, exchanging amused glances. 

“So how do we find Hyena?” Leo asked, leaning back in his chair again, and crossing his arms. 

“Anywhere there’s money.” Brooklyn grumbled, a hint of disdain in his tone. 

“I think they’ve learned their lesson about going back to Pack Media Studios; doubt we’ll find them there. But the abandoned subway stations are a good place to check.” 

“We shouldn’t start that tonight though.” Brooklyn interrupted, glancing up at the clock on the wall. “Dawn is only a few hours away and Goliath will _kill_ me if I’m not back by then.” He continued, pushing up from his seat. “The last thing I need is him breathing down my neck any more. We should meet back here tomorrow. Or I guess _technically_ tonight…” Elisa nodded, snorting at Brooklyn’s addition earning a glare. 

“If you’d like to stay here for the day, Leo, you’re welcome too.” She offered, taking another sip of her tea. 

“As appealing as that sounds, I need to fill my brother in on what’s going on. And talk to April before she has a conniption fit.” Elisa smiled over the rim of her mug, waving to the two males as they slipped back out into the night. 

“Thanks for your help tonight.” Brooklyn smiled, perching himself on the edge of Elisa’s balcony. 

“No problem. Besides, I sort of owed you for saving my ass in the alley the other night.” Brooklyn laughed, pulling a grin from Leo’s lips. Brooklyn really was an attractive creature. 

“Well, take care of yourself.” Brooklyn grinned before opening his wings and taking off. Leo totally did _not_ sneak a look as the gargoyle flew away. 


	15. Slip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's another chapter for you! I've gotten a little swamped with school here the past couple months, but I'm working on this as often as I can and I hope to have the next chapter out in the next few days! As always, thank you so much for reading, I love you all and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,032  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: past Raph/Leo; strained Colton/Raph

 

“ _I’m not sure if I should be flattered or concerned that you’ve called me twice in the same night._ ” Donnie’s voice quipped from the other side of the line as Leo leant up against the far wall of his hideaway.

“Shut-up Donnie.” Leo chuckled, earning a response chuckle. “I do need to fill you in on some things though.” Leo’s tone turned serious as he reviewed the night’s events. He could hear Donnie chewing on his tongue as the genius mulled over his words. “What do you think?”

“ _First of all, I like the use of a ‘moral loop hole’,_ ” Donnie started, making Leo grin. “ _But if what you theorize is true, then tapping into Hyena’s memory should be theoretically possible. You said she hit her head when you flipped her over the stairwell railing?_ ”

“Yeah. I think just hard enough to knock her out. We didn’t exactly have time to check.”

Donnie chuckle again. “ _If she’s become a cyborg, I highly doubt a little cut on the head will do much damage to her memory, but I’ll need to check her out just to be safe. Do you have any idea where she might be?_ ”

“Not a clue.” Leo huffed, sinking against the wall at the admission. He never liked not knowing where his enemies were.

“ _Helpful._ ” Donnie snarked.

“Look, I’m going out tomorrow night with Brooklyn and Elisa again to see if we can find them. Elisa thinks she knows where we might be able to look, but the chances of finding them in one night, especially when they’re working with Bishop, are slim. But Brooklyn says they aren’t exactly ones that like to plan things out so they’ll show up again sooner or later.”

“ _Yeah, I get it. Just keep me posted okay?_ ”

“Well, you’re kind of one of the main elements to this plan, so it’d be hard not to.” Donnie chuckled into Leo’s ear again. “Hey, you said you wanted to talk to me about something earlier?”

Leo heard Donnie sigh, and shift in his chair. “ _Yeah. First of all, congratulations on landing a punch on Raph that made his lip swell._ ” Leo couldn’t help the triumphant smirk that played over his lips. “ _I do want to start this off by saying that Raph really is sorry about what happened, and he was more in the dark than we thought._ ”

Leo could feel his blood running cold. “Donnie, what did you do?”

“ _I didn’t_ do _anything. I did talk to Raph when he came back, and told him what Colton had been doing to you._ ”

“Donnie, you didn’t! Why would you do that? I should have been the one to talk to him about that!” Leo wanted to be upset, but he knew, even if he _had_ mustered up enough courage to tell Raph about Colton, Raph probably never would have believed him.

“ _Don’t act like you’re mad, cause I know you aren’t. We both know Raph would have shut down if you had been the one to bring it up._ ”

“I know I just… Talk to me next time okay?”

“ _Hey, I saw an opportunity and I went for it. Turns out it was a good idea cause I found Colton sleeping on the couch a few hours ago._ ” Leo blinked in shock. “ _Apparently Raph told him he had to talk to you… Sorry about that. I didn’t expect_ that _to happen…_ ” Leo groaned at the thought of talking to Colton now. He knew it would turn into a fight, at least on Colton’s end of things, and that’s the last thing the situation needed.

“It’s alright Don, it wasn’t your fault. I’m just impressed Raph kicked Colton out…”

“ _I don’t think he’s too happy at the moment. He locked himself in his room and won’t come out for anything. Even Mikey’s worried._ ”

“Just let me know when Colton leaves. I don’t want to be blind-sided by a confrontation.” A chill ran up Leo’s spine. Just the thought of the human got his blood boiling. He was loathing to think of what might happen in the heat of the argument Colton was sure to start. “I’m gonna be honest Don, I’m a little worried about talking with him. Neither of us are at our most stable right now…”

“ _I had the same thought. I’m going to try and talk to both of them tomorrow and see if we can find some middle ground for now. I won’t tell them I talked to you though. That probably wouldn’t help either._ ”

“Thanks Don.”

“ _Also sorry about the whole Angel thing. Splinter was insistent that we at least have a way of finding you. I had to prove that it worked._ ”

Leo laughed. “I figured it was something like that. Speaking of which, I need to call April. She’s probably about ready to have a fit if she hasn’t already.”

“ _I told Splinter not to call her!_ ”

“Hopefully I can calm her down. The last thing we need is her panicking with a baby on the way.”

“ _That would be preferable._ ” Donnie lamented with a yawn.

“What would also be preferable is if you went to bed after we hang up.”

“ _I just have-_ ”

“Do I need to call Mikey?”

“ _Oh, yeah, bed? I was_ just _heading there, night Leo!_ ” Donnie clicked the line off before Leo could say anything more. Leo laughed as he called up April, ready for the hailstorm of questions the female was sure to have.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Brooklyn’s wings were getting sore by the time he made it back to the castle. Sitting in the back of Elisa’s car was definitely _not_ an activity he wished to repeat any time soon. Stretching his wings out to their full length, he almost jumped off the side of the castle when Goliath landed in front him with a loud thud.

“Jesus, Goliath, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” Brooklyn chuckled, placing a hand over his chest.

“Did everything go okay tonight?” Goliath asked, a tone laced into his words that Brooklyn couldn’t quite place.

Deciding to be honest with his leader, Brooklyn sat back on one of the castle perches. “Not as great as we had hoped but it wasn’t horrible. The remaining Pack decided to rob an armored truck. Elisa had them in custody when, surprise, surprise, they broke free, since no one seems to be competent enough to hold them other than Elisa on the force. But the game’s changed. There’s a new player on the board.”

Worry etched its way onto Goliath’s features as he crossed his arms. “What do you mean a new player?”

“Remember the anonymous caller?”

“Yes?”

“He helped us out, and one of his enemies has found the Pack and decided to recruit them.”

“You let the anonymous caller _see_ you?” Goliath hissed.

Brooklyn let out a groan. “Goliath, we don’t have anything to worry about form him. He-”

“And how do you know that?!” As usual, Goliath didn’t seem to want to let Brooklyn finish his explanation.

“If you would let me finish, I would tell you that he’s a giant mutant turtle.” Goliath blinked down at Brooklyn in confusion. “I swear I’m not shitting you. His name is Leonardo and I think he could make a really good ally in the future as well as now. A man he knows as Agent Bishop showed up at the scene after the Pack escaped. We managed to get him off our trail but he managed to get to the Pack before we could. They’re allies now. But Elisa came up with a plan-”

“I’ll take over from here. You’ll stay here with the others.”

Brooklyn frowned in disbelief. “I’m sorry, what? You think I’m going to sit here on my ass now that a new enemy has emerged, we have a new ally, and I was the one on point on a mission for once? Not happening!”

“The fact that there’s a new enemy changes things, and mean you and the other will definitely _not_ be leaving his castle alone! Also, we do not have another ally yet! We don’t know we can fully trust this, Leonardo.”

“What the hell?! Why are you so set on keeping everyone locked away from the world?! This is ridiculous, Goliath! You can’t lock us all down the moment a goddamned _firecracker_ goes off!” By this time, the rest of the clan had made their way outside to get ready for sunrise, and walked right into the argument.

“Brooklyn, I am your leader and it is my job to keep everyone safe! You will do as you’re told and stay here!”

“Like hell I will!” The rest of the clan stood in shock as Brooklyn jumped to his feet to square off with Goliath. “I am _not_ a hatchling anymore! I can take care of myself, and so can the rest of this damned clan! I’ve saved your ass more than once, or have you forgotten the reason you made me second in command in the first place?!”

“Yes, I made you second in command, and I can take that away from you just as easily!”

“Then do it! You _clearly_ don’t believe in me _at all_ so what’s the fucking point of me taking over the position of leader when you step down?! You just won’t step down until someone else comes along who _you_ deem worthy! Apparently I was just a place holder! I still feel like I fucking am!”

“Enough! I will not keep going around and around with you like this! If you want me to start trusting you, try listening to my instructions for once!”

“I always have! I have never _once_ , before this lockdown bullshit, questioned your orders! I may have suggested something else, but I _never_ disregarded you! You, on the other hand, are the one who fights _me_ at every turn! In case you’ve forgotten, I lead this clan successfully for over six months while you, Elisa and Bronx were doing what Avalon needed you to! I never held resentment over you for that, because I knew there had to be a valid reason for it! So why the hell can’t you see that I’m capable in my own abilities?!”

“How many times do I have to tell you that this has nothing to do with your abilities or my faith in them?”

“You sure could have fooled me! You go off on your own all the damned time, and yet _I’m_ the only one you force to go out with anyone else!”

Hudson stepped up behind Goliath to lay a hand on the leader’s shoulder. “Lad, I know you don’t want to hear this, but Brooklyn has a point. The rest of us don’t seem to need company away from the castle, but every time Brooklyn leaves, someone has to go with him. I don’t know if you’re doing this intentionally or not, but Brooklyn’s right in what he says.”

“Yes, Hudson, but Brooklyn’s the only one that acts rashly when his emotions take over.” Brooklyn watched as Goliath’s jaw worked when he realized what he had said.

“‘This has nothing to do with whether or not I trust your abilities, Brooklyn.’ Right. Sure it doesn’t Goliath. And pigs fly.” With that, Brooklyn turned and leapt off the side of the castle, quickly gliding away from Goliath and away from the castle. Maybe he had just proven Goliath right, but he didn’t care. He was so frustrated, and hurt he couldn’t stand to be around the leader anymore. It was impressive that Goliath had managed to slip up at all, and Brooklyn was almost proud he had gotten Goliath so riled up that he’d slipped.

Brooklyn landed just a few buildings over from the castle. He could see the sun peaking over the horizon and knew he shouldn’t go any farther. He found a dark corner to rest in and sat down, watching for a few moments as the sun rose. Just before he turned to stone, Brooklyn buried his face in his knees. He hadn’t cried in a long time, but as the sun shone across his red skin, one tear fell down his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad ending, I know, but I plan for the next few chapters to be a little more light! But I've been wrong before so don't hold me to that! XD


	16. Lucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I got another chapter out in the same week as the last! What is this???

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,258  
Rating PG-13   
Warnings: language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: protective Leo of Brooklyn, even if he doesn’t know he’s being protective

 

Elisa was yawning by the time she made it back home. She had gone back out with the safety of daylight to retrieve her car. There was no way she was going to leave it down at that shifty end of town. She already had to get the paint redone after Matt decided to take over driving the night he found out about the gargoyles. That was a nice little dent in her savings. So she didn’t want to repeat that bill.

By the time she made it home, the sun was shining brightly in the sky and she hissed at it.

“You gargoyles are lucky you don’t have to deal with this shit…” She grumbled. As of late, she’d been cursing a lot more. She couldn’t tell if it was the stress of rounding up all of the anti-gargoyle groups, or the strain that had suddenly formed on her and Goliath’s relationship. He was more possessive as of late, and it all seemed to come back around to Brooklyn.

Unlocking her door, Elisa thought back to every encounter she’d had with the beaked gargoyle. She knew she felt nothing but friendship with the second in command, and she didn’t think he felt anything more either. Even if he did, Elisa knew him well enough to know that he would never do anything to come between her and Goliath. So why was Goliath so nervous about him? There had to be more at play here than just jealousy…

Yawning again, Elisa decided to stop trying to crawl inside Goliath’s head and instead crawl into her bed. After locking up her firearm, she stripped out of her jacket as she made her way to her bedroom. She gasped when she opened the door.

Glass was shattered over the floor, her drapes swaying lazily in the wind. On her bed, tacked with a knife, was a note. With a shaky hand, and careful not to leave fingerprints on the knife, Elisa picked up the note and read.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Leo was exhausted by the time April finally let him go. He knew she meant the best, but she sometimes worried more than her own good. Sighing, he rolled his neck and sunk down the wall. Thinking back now he should have taken Elisa up on her offer to stay there. At least he wouldn’t have had to sleep on a cold cement floor.

Leo jumped when his phone began ringing. He hadn’t realized he was falling asleep until the ring jolted him awake. He fumbled for a moment to get to his phone and frowned when he realized it was Elisa. Before he could even get out ‘hello’ after he answered, Elisa’s shaky voice cut him off.

“You know how I offered for you to stay here for the day? Well that’s more of a request now…”

“Elisa, what happened?” Leo asked, swinging his bag over his shoulder, already heading back out to his bike.

“Someone broke into my apartment.”

“What?!” Leo picked up his pace.

“They left a note, but it’s in Japanese. I can’t read it.”

“Hang on, I’m on my way.”

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Elisa paced the floor of her apartment, no longer concerned with sleep. The last time an enemy had found her apartment was when Demona had thought she poisoned Elisa, but the dart had hit her badge instead. She was very lucky and God had definitely been on her side that night.

She jumped when Leo slid her window open. Her hand instinctively reached for her fire arm, only to remember she had locked it up for the night.

“Whoa, sorry. It’s just me.” Leo apologized, holding his hands up.

Elisa chuckled as Leo hopped down into her apartment. “You’re fine, I’m just really jumpy right now. Not to mention I’m not used to my ‘visitors’ being so silent.” Leo chuckled at her last comment, setting his backpack on the coffee table.  
“Show me the note.” He instructed, following the human back into the bedroom.

“I’m personally really pissed about my window.” She muttered, picking the note up from where she’d dropped it on the floor.

Leo took the offered paper, frowning down at the symbols on the parchment. “Just from looking at this, I can tell whoever wrote this didn’t grow up with writing Japanese.”

“Wait, you can read Japanese?” Elisa asked, dumbfounded.

Leo grinned. “My father taught my brothers and I from a young age. Sometimes we slip into speaking Japanese in the middle of sentences. It really confuses Casey.” Elisa smiled. “But the lines on this note were created with exact precision. There’s no distinctive handwriting to say this person grew up writing the language. It’s too practiced. Too perfect…” Leo frown as he began to read the letter. “Well that’s perfect…”

“I don’t like that tone.” Elisa mumbled, a chill running down her spine.

“Lucky for us, Bishop didn’t deliver this letter himself, but it’s from him. He says he used a ‘messenger’ to bring the letter, someone you probably arrested several times in the past. Says he found someone named Kenny?”

“Oh that sad excuse for a human? He turned Brooklyn over to a money-crazed thug who tried to sell him on the black market back when gargoyle hunting was at its worst.”

Leo could feel his blood boiling, but couldn’t put a finger on the core reason. “People wanted to _buy_ gargoyles?”

“Unfortunately there were several offers made to Xanatose. Funny since he’s already go enough money for every person in New York to live comfortably for the next decade, so it’s not like he needs more.”

Leo rolled his eyes, unable to shake the spark of anger in his gut. “It goes on to say that he knows I’m working with you and the gargoyles and, in classic Bishop fashion, wants to make a deal, but won’t say what it is unless we agree to meet with him.”  
“How the hell would we let him know if we even wanted to meet with him?”

“Doesn’t matter, cause it won’t be happening.” Leo growled, crushing the note in his hand. “Luckily, I believe that Bishop really doesn’t know where you live, and he won’t come looking. He’s cocky enough that he thinks you’ll give away where you live on your own. For now, I say we stay with the same plan we had before, you just need to keep on the down low as much as a detective for the New York police department can.”

Elisa chuckled, sighing as she looked over her room. “I guess I’m not sleeping in here now… The adrenaline from initially finally wearing off and I’m exhausted.”

Leo smiled. “So am I. Unfortunately, I got used to not sleeping, and yesterday I got a good day’s sleep in so my body has remembered how nice sleep is.”

Elisa laughed, turning to grab some things from her closet. “Usually I would offer you the guest room, but I’m going to be selfish and take that for myself today. You get the couch.

“The couch is fine.” Leo chuckled, taking the pillow and blankets Elisa handed him. “It’ll be better than the cement floor of the sewer I’m currently hauled up in.”

“Tonight, I’m getting the whole story of that… But right now, I’m going to bed.” With that, Elisa turned and walked into the bathroom adjoined to her room, closing the door behind herself. Leo chuckled, walking back out to the living room and falling back on the couch. It wasn’t five minutes before he was asleep.


	17. Helpful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey, I'm back with another chapter! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,349  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: unconscious Brooklyn/Leo; Goliath/Elisa

 

That night, Leo awoke to the smell of bacon. For a moment, he thought he was back at home, and wondered how he’d gotten there. Opening his eyes, Leo groaned, stretching his arms above his head. Elisa’s couch was surprisingly comfortable to sleep on.

“We have about an hour before the gargoyle’s wake up.” Elisa called from the kitchen. Sitting up, Leo turned to look at the human. She was wearing a pair of fuzzy, polka dotted pajama pants and a purple tank-top. “Figured you’d appreciate it if I put on some pants. I usually don’t sleep with any.” She teased, flipping a pancake in the pan to her right.  
“Yeah, that’s appreciated, thanks.” Leo chuckled, shoving his boots to the side as he stood up and walked over to the counter where a cup of tea was waiting for him. “Any suggestions for where we should start looking?” He asked, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a sip.

 

“Well, the last place they hauled up in was where the tracks crossed. Most villains wouldn’t be stupid enough to go back there, but the Pack aren’t ‘most’ villains.” Elisa explained, setting a plate with eggs and bacon in front of Leo, and another plate with the pancakes she had finished beside it. “I wasn’t sure how you liked your eggs so I just scrambled them. I figure that’s always a safe bet.”

“You didn’t have to make me breakfast.” Leo stated, though his stomach growled as he looked at the food.

“Right, and I was just going to eat in front of you after _I_ called you down here when I got freaked after only knowing you for a few hours.”

Leo chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, point taken.”

Elisa grinned. “Besides, as I’ve said to anyone else who has come over for a meal, I’ve got the best stocked fridge in New York. It’s safer that way.”

“I may have to challenge you on the best stocked part. I live with three younger brothers.”

“Well I’ll have to take notes if I ever come around.” The two laughed as Elisa turned back to the stove to finish making breakfast.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Brooklyn woke with a loud roar. He stretched his large wings out to their full length, the tip of one touching the wall to his right. He had forgotten he had spent the day away from the castle.

Thinking back, Brooklyn wondered if he had overreacted a little to the conversation he had had with Goliath. That is, until he replayed the conversation. He knew he was the most emotional of the clan, and he was working on that. Hell, he didn’t instantly go into attack mode whenever he saw Demona anymore. That had to count for something right?

Deciding to stop dwelling over the subject, Brooklyn turned his attention instead to The Pack and Bishop. The main priority was getting ahold of Hyena so they could see if it was possible to access her memories. In order to do that they had to find them first. They probably wouldn’t be going back to where the tracks crossed any time soon, but just for the sake of argument, it might not be a bad idea to check it out.

Walking to the edge of the roof, Brooklyn snapped his wings open and took off towards Elisa’s apartment. As he approached, he noticed the window into the police woman’s bedroom had been shattered. Worry sinking in, he quickly landed on the balcony to step in through the window. His heart skipped a beat for a reason he didn’t understand when he saw that Leo was already there.

“Wow, you’re here fast.” Elisa marveled as she hung up the phone. “I guess Goliath didn’t give you any trouble then?”

“Well… No, not tonight…” Brooklyn responded, trying to remain as vague as possible. “But in other news, what the hell happened to your window? Are you okay?”

“You know I’ll get the story from you at some point. But to answer your questions, yes, I’m fine. I wasn’t here when it happened, I was retrieving my car. I called Leo when it happened cause I was freaked.”

“Plus the note was written in Japanese.” Leo added, popping another piece of bacon into his mouth.

“Apparently our half-shelled friend here can read and even speak Japanese.” Brooklyn’s brow rose as he looked at Leo.

“Impressive…” He marveled, his tail twitching behind him. Elisa caught the gesture and rose a brow herself, but said nothing, only smirked at him. Brooklyn appreciated that.

“Anyway, turns out your old friend Kenny is a messenger boy for Bishop.” Brooklyn’s hackles rose and he growled at the name.

“What the hell does that low life have to gain?” He hissed. Leo looked on in wonder.

“Probably money knowing him. Wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to get back at you or even find Bobbi and Dave again.” Brooklyn’s tail twitched in anger, barely missing the vase on Elisa’s coffee table. “Hey, twitchy tail, watch the breakables!” Muttering under his breath, Brooklyn folded his wings over his shouldered and stepped over to the counter. Elisa pushed a plate his direction. “I wouldn’t worry too much about those kids, Brook.” She stated as Brooklyn sat down, a frown still present on his features. “The minute I heard Kenny was involved, I called for surveillance on the Porter family. They’ll be fine, trust me.”

“I know, I know…” Leo chuckled, as Brooklyn’s tail began twitching again, brushing along the small of Leo’s back occasionally. “Wouldn’t want to get too _emotional_ anyway…” Brooklyn muttered, crunching on a piece of bacon.

“Alright Brooklyn, spill. What the hell happened when you went home last night?”

“Elisa, I don’t want-”

“Spill!”

Leo tried not to laugh as he took another sip of his tea. Elisa and April would make _really_ good friends.

Brooklyn sighed. What was the point in arguing with Elisa? She could be more stubborn than Bronx sometimes.

After recounting his ‘conversation’ with Goliath the night previous, Brooklyn watched Elisa’s face contort. She was _pissed_. He hadn’t seen her so pissed in a long time.

“What is his problem?!” She growled, twirling her fork around in her fingers. “I understand his worry, but… Just… God!”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you.” Brooklyn grumbled. “I don’t want there to be a rift between the two of you.”

“I get that Brooklyn, but you and I both know it isn’t healthy for you to keep your feelings inside. Goliath is just going to have to learn that.”

“Ri~ight…” Brooklyn drawled giving Elisa and incredulous look. “Do you know your boyfriend at all?”

“Yes, I do. He’ll come around… Eventually…” Even Elisa didn’t seem sure of herself.

“Helpful.” Brooklyn chuckled.

Elisa shrugged. “That’s my job after all.” Brooklyn rolled his eyes and snorted. “Anyway, I made a few calls before you got here, and from what I was able to gather, The Pack don’t seem to be at the section where the tracks cross.”

“It may not hurt to check.” Leo pitched in. “I realize The Pack may not be the brightest bunch, but Bishop is. He would know how to get them in and out of anywhere in broad daylight without being noticed. They could very well be there and no one would know.”

“Well it’s as good of a place to start looking as any. It’s my night off tonight so I can come with-” Leo cut Elisa off.

“Not a good idea Elisa.” He stated, taking notice of her defiant frown. “Bishop knows you’re a part of this now. He’ll expect you to be out there with us. It will be safer for you if you stay here.”

Elisa let out a huff of air, her bangs blowing upwards in the draft, but seemed to concede the point. “Okay _fine_ , but I want _hourly_ updates on what’s happening and if you don’t report in, I’m coming to find you, got it?!” Leo and Brooklyn chuckled, both saluting with a “Yes ma’am” and a chuckle. “Smart-asses.”


	18. Immunity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween guys! Have a slightly gory chapter in celebration! XD

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,380  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; mild blood and gore  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo (with an unconsciously protective Brooklyn); Goliath/Elisa

 

The going was slow, trying to find the best way of getting from point A to point B so Leo wouldn’t be seen. His black attire helped, but Thanksgiving was coming up so more and more people were walking around in the streets and Leo didn’t want to take the chance of being seen. Elisa suggested Leo ride on Brooklyn’s back, no one would pay it any mind, but Leo politely declined with a blush. Brooklyn turned three shades of red darker at the suggestion.

Once their course had been figured out, Leo had slipped back into his leather jacket and attached his katana to his back. He didn’t want to be burdened by his entire backpack so he only took out the choice few weapons he would need for this mission. Brooklyn tried not to watch Leo move from the corner of his eye.

“Okay, so in the event The Pack aren’t at the crossing, which is a high possibility, there’s another area they could be hauled up in just a few blocks south. It’s an old warehouse that was abandoned back in the fifties and has stood dormant ever since. It would seem to be the next likely place they would hide.”

“Seems reasonable enough to me.” Leo hummed. His swords felt strange pressed directly into his back, and he shifted unconsciously at the feeling. He couldn’t remember a time he had worn them without his shell.

“I suppose you’ll want us to let you know if and when we head over to the warehouse?” Brooklyn smirked, earning a raised brow from the police woman.

“As a matter of fact I will and I don’t appreciate your tone.” She sassed backed, giving him a lighthearted punch on the shoulder.

“You’re just too fun to mess with.” Leo chuckled at the statement. Sounded like something they would all say to Donnie.

“Anyway, please try to be careful. You _know_ I hate staying behind like this…” Elisa grumbled, looking at Brooklyn with a strange mix of admiration and worry. She and Donnie would get along well too.

“I know you don’t, but I already have enough problems with Goliath. Getting you hurt or worse wouldn’t bode well with him.” The two laughed before hugging, Leo looking on with a smile at the simple, but strong display of their friendship. “We’ll let you know once we get there.”

Elisa nodded, watching as the two males climbed back out of her window. Brooklyn took off into the skies as Leo jumped down and disappeared below Elisa’s balcony.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“How much farther is it?” Leo asked into his shell cell. The two had synced Leo’s shell cell and Brooklyn’s radio before they had left so they were able to communicate between one another without Brooklyn having to land.

“It’s just up ahead. These tracks aren’t used much anymore, but I would advise you don’t get hit by one of the few trains that go by. If it made a giant robot explode, I’d hate to see what it does to living flesh.” Leo laughed at the obvious reference Brooklyn made to his last encounter with The Pack.

A foreboding feeling swept over Leo as soon as the building came into view. He didn’t like tangling with Bishop on a _good_ day, and the fact he had decided to make some new allies didn’t make the situation any better. Brooklyn landed next to him, his wings blowing the cold November wind around the area, fallen leaves swirling around the gargoyle as he folded his wings over his shoulders. Leo silently wished his brothers had that much grace when landing, grinning to himself.

“Am I the only one who’s getting a bad feeling about this?” Brooklyn muttered, his tail twitching in agitation. It reminded Leo much of Clunk’s tail when the little tabby was in a mood.

“No. The air is different here. I can’t place my finger on it, but I’m wondering if this was a setup…” The two shared a worried glance before tentatively making their way into the building.

The entire place was trashed. Cards lay strewn about the wooden table and floor, two chairs had been flung backwards, one breaking on impact with the ground. Anesthetic tanks stood broken and mangled in the far corner, their control panels flickering with dashed hopes of new life.

“So, did you wage World War III here or was this just an unusually bad day?” Leo chuckled looking down at the broken glass strewn about the ground.

Brooklyn laughed at the question. “It was just a bad day.” It stung to think that this night had been the night that Goliath had named him second in command. It hadn’t been two years ago and he was already wondering if Goliath regretted his choice.

“It doesn’t look like they’re here.” Leo called from the back corner before reappearing. Brooklyn hadn’t even noticed he had moved. He really was a ninja. “I didn’t think Elisa’s information was wrong but I figured it didn’t hurt to check.”

“Hey, you know more about Bishop than we do. If you have an inkling, I’m going to follow it.” Leo couldn’t help but grin. “Anyway, we should probably head over to the warehouse.”

“Don’t forget to radio Elisa.” Leo chuckled. Brooklyn groaned lightheartedly as he pulled the radio from his belt.

“No luck Elisa, were heading over to the warehouse now.” Brooklyn called into the machine.

“Damn. I was kind of hoping you’d find them in a familiar area.” Elisa grumbled, the meow of a cat echoing in the background. “Okay Cagney I’ll feed you! Hudson and Broadway spoiled you didn’t they?”

“We’re all guilty of that.” Brooklyn grinned.

“I figured. Just _please_ watch your backs. I’m getting a bad feeling about this…”

“We are too.”

“Maybe you should-”

“We are not coming back. We’re already down here, it would be counterproductive to turn back now.”

Elisa let out a sigh into her receiver. “Fine. Why are you so stubborn?”

“Because you are.”

“Get off the com!” Brooklyn laughed as he clipped the radio back to his belt.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Leo’s feeling of unease only grew the closer he and Brooklyn got to the old warehouse. He had always been sensitive to the energies around him and this situation was _bleeding_ with bad energy.

“I’m wondering if maybe we _should_ go back…” He muttered as Brooklyn shoved the warehouse’s back door open.

“Why?” The red gargoyle grunted, his muscles straining against the push of the door. Leo couldn’t help but stare. 

“I just… I’m getting _really_ bad energies from this situation…” Brushing off his hands, Brooklyn turned around to look at Leo. “I know I probably sound crazy…” He chuckled self-consciously, rubbing the back of his neck.

“No, you’re not crazy.” Brooklyn smiled. “Back in Scotland there were a lot of wiccans that lived in little cabins and shacks around the castle. They taught a lot of us about and how to learn to feel the energies in the air. Goliath always thought it was bullshit and refused to believe it, but some of us found merit in it. So I definitely feel what you’re feeling, I think you’re just feeling it stronger than me.” Leo grinned. His brothers made fun of him for how sensitive he was. He knew they were just jealous they couldn’t feel everything he felt, but it was refreshing to have someone who didn’t question him. “If you _really_ think we should turn back, we can.”

“I-” Leo was cut off as three bullets whizzed by the pair, embedding themselves in the metal wall of the warehouse. The two turned to find Jackal and Hyena reloading behind them, blocking their exit. “I vote for moving out of the line of fire!” Leo shouted, practically shoving Brooklyn through the mangled doorway. The two worked together to shove the door back closed. The cyborg siblings slammed against and shot at the door as Brooklyn worked to keep it closed. Ripping a pipe from the wall to their left, Leo jammed it into the handle of the door, switching places with Brooklyn so the gargoyle could bend the pipe around the jam in its entirety.

“I _hate_ those two…” Brooklyn growled. “How much do you wanna bet Wolf’s hiding in here somewhere?”

“Your life.” Brooklyn barely jumped out of the way in time as Wolf’s fist slammed into the door where his head had just been. “Dammit!” Wolf howled, swinging his fist back around himself. Leo blocked Wolf’s arm with his own before pinning it and flipping the large male over his shoulder. Needless to say Brooklyn was impressed.

“Well, it was a trap.” Leo grumbled as Wolf picked himself up.

“I’d say that’s putting it lightly.” Brooklyn responded. “We shouldn’t stay here.” Brooklyn stated, stepping up behind Leo as Wolf shook his head to try and clear it of stars. “These three work best in tight spaces. They fight dirty and I will give them the credit that they are fast. You don’t want to be caught by any of the sibling’s gadgets.”

“Alright, well good thing is the shelves of this warehouse can offer some cover for us. There should be a drainage pipe around here somewhere built into the floor that will lead down to the sewers. Hopefully we’ll be lucky enough to find it to be large enough for us to drop down into. I know my way around sewers fairly well. I should be able get us away from these three if we can get down there.”

“Well it’s a better plan than none. I’m with you.” Nodding, Leo threw a high kick at Wolf, catching him on his right cheek and slamming him into the wall to Wolf’s left. Not wasting a moment, Leo and Brooklyn dashed off towards the back of the warehouse.

“Stop hiding like cowards and come out and face me!” Wolf bellowed, his speech a little muffled, indicating that Leo may have broken his jaw.

“He says that so often and he thinks it’ll still work.” Brooklyn mumbled. The gargoyle watched as Leo moved almost invisibly through the shadows. It was incredibly impressive and if Brooklyn hadn’t been able to see so well in the dark, he most likely wouldn’t have been able to see the turtle at all.

“Where the fuck are you?!” Wolf howled, the sound of a rack of shelves crashing to the floor behind the two. Another crash was heard, signaling that Jackal and Hyena had broken through the door and were now on the hunt as well.

“Shit… They have heat vision…” Brooklyn breathed. “Do you know if we’re close?”

“I don’t-” Leo was cut off when a large crate flew just past his face. He jumped back, stumbling into Brooklyn and the two fell over one another into another set of shelves.

“You’re not getting away this time!” Hyena shouted. “You owe me for the lump on my head, turtle!” Leo quickly rolled off of Brooklyn, crouching down in a defensive position and pulling his katana. Through years of training, he didn’t need to see Hyena to know she was lunching at him from the right. He used his katana to block her attack, swiping his leg behind her ankles to knock her down and flipping out of the alley of shelves for more room.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn had also crouched low, his tail whipping around his body as his eyes scanned the area around him. He could still hear Wolf crashing and banging around in the distance, and those noises were going in the opposite direction of their position. Wolf certainly wasn’t the brightest of The Pack, and in the dark, Brooklyn didn’t really feel that he was that much of a threat. Jackal, however, was a different story.

Hyena was going after Leo. She was the pistol of the two siblings, and far more unpredictable. Brooklyn worried for a moment if Leo was going to be okay against the female, but those thoughts were quickly forgotten as Brooklyn heard Jackal slinking up on his left. One benefit to the siblings becoming cyborgs is they were a little easier to track with sound now than they had been before.

Jackal lunged, going for Brooklyn’s back, but from his crouched position, Brooklyn was able to drop low and Jackal went sailing over him. Easily rebounding with his extendable limbs, Jackal used the pointed end of his foot and swung back at Brooklyn’s chest. Brooklyn jumped back, but not quite enough. He hissed when the metal broke his skin. It wasn’t deep. It would probably scab over by the time they got out of this. _If_ they got out.

Leo knew they were in a tight spot. He could hear Wolf off in the distance, so he wasn’t worried about him at the moment but he tried to track where he was going just in case. Hyena’s fingers extended out, faster than Leo expected, and dug deep into his plastron, slashing down and ripping his shirt open. Leo cried out, blood flowing down his chest as he jumped back and out of the way, trying to put some space between himself and Hyena to regroup. The edges of the cuts along his plastron tingled. He knew that feeling. Hyena had dipped her claws in poison. He sighed a breath of relief when he recognized that it was one of the poisons he and his brothers had slowly built up immunity to. A dose this small wouldn’t hurt him at all. It may cause some discolouration on his plastron when he healed though. His current concern was how much blood he was losing.

Brooklyn felt anger surging when he heard Leo cry out. Jackal used this temporary to slash out a Brooklyn again. Brooklyn howled, swinging his left fist into Jackal’s jaw as the cyborg’s claws ripped the flesh of his right wing open. Now he was pissed. Ripping off another pipe from the wall, Brooklyn swung it at Jackal’s head, the metal making a sickening crack as Jackal flew back.

“Oh, you’re in for it now Beak-boy.” Jackal hissed as he looked up, Brooklyn advancing on him.

“It’s Brooklyn.” The gargoyle hissed, punching Jackal in the face, blood spraying as the man was knocked out cold.


	19. Handy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! We're getting into the romance guys! Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,832  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; mild mentions of blood  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo (with a confused Leo); Goliath/Elisa

 

Panting, Leo preformed another backflip on shaky arms, trying to put some distance between he and Hyena. Damn she was persistent! And being a cyborg, Hyena was going to outmatch him with stamina by a landslide. Wolf had managed to crash, bang and fumble his way back to where Brooklyn was. The red gargoyle now had two members of The Pack to worry about. Thankfully, Jackal was still getting his bearings from when Brooklyn had previously knocked him out.

Finally getting away from Hyena, Leo used one of the supports to a shelving unit to swing around to Brooklyn’s position, ramming the souls of his boots into Jackal and knocking him out again. He wouldn’t be getting up again.

“Fall back!” Leo hissed, throwing Wolf off of the gargoyle and practically shoving the older male towards the back of the warehouse.

“You do realize we’re running blind right?” Brooklyn asked, but put up no fight as he followed the turtle.

“Yeah, well Hyena was gonna back me into a corner soon. I think Bishop may have given those two some upgrades since last night.”

“What makes you say that?” The sarcasm rolling off Brooklyn’s tongue helped to lighten the mood, if only but a little.

Suddenly, Leo’s boot landed on something hollow and bumpy. Brooklyn watched Leo spin on his heel.

“Found it!” Leo stated triumphantly as Hyena cackled in the distance. “Help me pry this open! We need backup if we want a prayer of hauling Hyena in!”

With nothing to use as leverage, the two struggled to get the manhole cover moved to the side. Once the sewer was open, the two jumped down, the opening just large enough for them to fit through. Without a body to see, Hyena wouldn’t be able to find them. However, the two didn’t just drop down into a sewer. Since the heavy fall rain and with the added melted snow, this section of the sewer had been overflowed, and as such the water was running hard and fast. The moment the two landed, they were swept away in the heavy current. Being a turtle, Leo could hold his breath long enough to survive, but he wasn’t sure if Brooklyn could.

The cold water stung the gashes in Brooklyn’s wing and Leo’s plastron. It was muggy and dirty and the chances of infection were skyrocketing the longer they were in the water. The fast current spun and slammed the two up against the walls of the sewer as they were swept further down the tunnel.

Brooklyn was finally able to get another breath of air when the sewer opened up into a large drainage area. The two males tumbled out of the tunnel and splashed into the deep pool of water below.

Breaking the surface, Leo felt dizzy. The water was cold, his body temperature was plummeting like a lead balloon and he was losing more and more blood as the minutes ticked by. He was having trouble keeping his head above water. He slipped beneath the surface again as Brooklyn surfaced.

Brooklyn was about ten feet away from the turtle, but he could see Leo was struggling to keep himself above water. The mucky water around the turtle was turning brown, slowly becoming more and more red with the blood seeping out of his wound. Leo slipped beneath the surface again as Brooklyn started to move towards him. He was freezing, and his joints ached the more he tried to move, but Leo wasn’t resurfacing, so he dove down into the water again.

Leo struggled with the tightness in his muscles. Cold, to say the least, was never his nor his brother’s friend. Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around his waist and hauled him back up to the surface.

Two sets of powerful legs did their best to kick their way to a ledge through the cold water. Digging his talons into the brick, Brooklyn helped Leo lift himself up onto the ledge and out of the water. The gargoyle followed shortly after, water dripping down his red skin, following the contours of his muscles and Leo couldn’t help but admire them.

“Thanks.” Leo huffed, his head falling back onto the ledge as he tried to catch his breath through the shivers that racked his body.

“No problem.” Brooklyn responded, leaning against the wall to catch his own breath.

“I guess I owe you my life again.” Brooklyn laughed, unclipping the radio from his belt to see if it still worked.

“Water-logged.” Brooklyn sighed, tossing the device back down into the water.

“Here,” Leo grunted as he sat up, handing his shell cell to the gargoyle. “Press nine for Elisa’s number.”

“Already have her on speed-dial?” Brooklyn smirked, holding the device up to his ear.

“Not like I know very many people to have on speed-dial.” Leo responded.

“ _Hello?_ ” Elisa called into the receiver.

“Hey Elisa, it’s Brooklyn.”

“ _Oh my God finally! Are you guys okay?!_ ”

Brooklyn chuckled dryly. “Define okay?”

“ _Well you’re both breathing, right?_ ”

“Yeah, barely. But we have no idea where we are.”

“ _Oh that’s genius..._ ” Brooklyn could hear the grin in the human’s voice. “ _What happened to your radio?_ ”

“It’s water-logged. Completely shot.”

“ _Hang on, let me see if I can track Leo’s phone._ ” Brooklyn heard the police woman punching a few buttons before coming back on the line. “ _Okay I’ve got you guys. You’re about three miles south of my place._ ” 

“Wow that sewer took us far…”

“ _You’re in the sewer?!_ ” Brooklyn cringed as Elisa’s voice reached decibels he hadn’t heard before. “ _What the hell happened?!_ ”

“I’ll explain later. Right now we need to get Leo patched up, and Jackal tore gashes in my wing so I can’t glide back.”

“ _Oh my God, I’m on my way!_ ” Brooklyn tried to tell Elisa to let someone else come, but she hung up before he could say anything.

“Dammit…” Brooklyn sighed, handing the phone back to Leo. “Elisa’s gonna come get us.”

“She’s just as stubborn as April.” Leo chuckled, wincing as the movement stretched his wounds. The bleeding was slowing, and Leo thanked his luck that the mutagen that had mutated him allowed him to heal fast.

“Can you stand?” Leo nodded, taking Brooklyn’s offered hand and getting to his feet.

“I don’t think I can climb though.” Leo groaned, knowing the only way out was up.

“Here, get on my back.” Brooklyn stated, turning around before Leo could see his blush, missing Leo’s own blush.

“Um… Okay…” Holding onto Brooklyn’s shoulders, Leo took a breath before jumping up and wrapping his legs around Brooklyn’s waist. He whimpered at the movement, his wounds bleeding a little faster with eh jostling.

“You okay?” Brooklyn asked, unconsciously wrapping his arm around Leo’s back for support.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Leo grunted, Brooklyn’s tail coming up to replace his arm as the gargoyle turned to the wall just below the outline of another manhole cover. Digging his talons into the brick, Brooklyn hauled he and Leo up the wall, the water sinking further and further down below them.

By the time Brooklyn shoved the manhole cover open, his muscles had pins in them and Leo was shaking harder. He wasn’t bleeding anymore, but his body temperature had dropped severely low. Being cold-blooded had its disadvantages, and winter was one of Leo’s worst enemies, especially when he was wounded.

Claw marks adorned the sidewalk as Brooklyn pulled them out of the sewer. Elisa’s car screeched to the curb and she dashed out around her car help the two up.

“Oh Jesus, this looks bad.” Elisa gasped, helping Leo over to her car.

“It’s not as bad as it was.” Leo lamented, sinking down into the front seat of the car. “Still hurts like hell though…”

“I wish I had your healing ability…” Elisa mumbled as Brooklyn crawled into the back seat and she walked back around to the driver’s side.

“It does come in handy.”

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It took less than two minutes to get back to Elisa’s apartment, and the use of her siren shaved off another minute.

“You drive like my little brother…” Leo chuckled as Elisa parked.

“I’m going to choose to take that as a complement.” Elisa smirked, Brooklyn getting out to help Leo. “There’s no one out this late in the night, so we can use the elevator.”

The moment Elisa opened the door to her apartment, she dashed back to the bedroom and returned with as many blankets as she could carry.

“Here,” She stated, tossing Leo a pair of gray sweatpants. “You need to get out of those wet clothes.” Brooklyn rose a brow at the garment, smirking at Elisa. “They belonged to my college boyfriend and they’re freaking comfortable, fight me.” Brooklyn and Leo chuckled as Elisa set the blankets down on the couch.

Rolling her eyes, Elisa stepped over to Leo. He was shaking uncontrollably, but his wounds weren’t bleeding anymore.

“Jesus these are deep.” She grimaced, pulling the tattered remains of what used to be a gray tank-top. “If we don’t clean these out they’re going to be _seriously_ infected. I think the easiest way for you to do that would be to take a shower. Plus, that will help you warm up.” Leo nodded, following Elisa back to the bathroom.

The warm water stung against his cold skin, but Leo could already feel his temperature rising. He knew from experience that he couldn’t only rely on the shower to warm him up. Too much hot water could raise his temperature _too_ fast and cause a heat stroke; just the opposite of what he was trying to achieve.

He paid special attention to the wounds across his plastron, knowing how disgusting the water he and Brooklyn had been in was. Elisa was right the wounds were very deep and he was starting to bleed again the more he fussed with them. They weren’t life-threatening though. He’d had worse and survived.

It was definitely weird for Leo to take a shower without his shell. The scar Shredder had given him during their battle in the maniac’s space ship extended down the back of his shoulder. It was much more sensitive there, since it was always covered by his shell and didn’t see much more stimulation than that. The scar traveled down the front of his shoulder, slashing through his collar bone and down his plastron. Just a few centimeters down was where the gashes Hyena had so _generously_ given him started. He was wondering if he almost rivaled Raph in scars now.

A ping of pain shot through Leo’s heart thinking about his brother, though, not as badly as before. He still ached whenever he thought about the red banded hot-head, but found that the more time he spent with Brooklyn, the less those memories hurt.

Leo shook his head. That wasn’t the reason he was out here, dammit! If he hadn’t gotten so wrapped up in this fight, he could just leave now and cut his losses. He didn’t need another heart break. He needed to try and distance himself. But the mere idea of _that_ hurt almost more than Raph’s betrayal had.

“Dammit…” Leo muttered as he turned the water off. Elisa had left him a large towel and the sweatpants she had tossed him earlier, as well as the jacket he had packed in his backpack on the toilet seat. He chuckled at the idea of her rummaging through his bag. Leo dried off as quickly as he could, the absence of the warm water sending chills down his spine and aggravating his wounds.

Slipping into the sweatpants and jacket, Leo felt a little warmer as he exited the warm bathroom, but he didn’t zip up the jacket. He didn’t need to ruin another top with blood.

“So Goliath came by while you two were gone.” Leo heard Brooklyn groan with malcontent.”

“Why? What did he want?” The gargoyle whined, his wings wrapped around his shoulders, bandages taped over the gashes Jackal had given him.

“He wanted to know where you were and I told him I didn’t know.”

“Elisa, I don’t want you straining your relationship with him by lying to him!” Brooklyn stated, his arms crossed over his chest. Leo could see a scab forming over the cut Jackal had made with his foot. Brooklyn obviously got the better deal of the two of them. Leo couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Turns out I didn’t exactly lie, now did I?” Elisa smirked.

“Still. I don’t want to cause a rift.”

“Look Brooklyn,” Elisa started as Leo walked over to the two. “I understand that, but I’m not going to sit idly by and watch him tear you up for no good reason. I may love him, but you’re my friend too. I’m not going to choose one over the other.”

Brooklyn let out a sigh through his nose, closing his eyes but nodding his head. “Yeah, okay I get it.” He mumbled.

“Anyway, we need to get Leo’s wounds covered. You go take a shower and I’ll see what I can do.” Brooklyn nodded, giving Leo a smile as he walked passed. Leo’s stomach flipped as he returned the smile. This was going to be so much more difficult than Leo had thought.

Sitting on the couch, Elisa tossed Leo a blanket. “You’re still freezing.”

“That’s what happens when you’re cold-blooded and spend an extended amount of time in cold water.” Leo chuckled, welcoming the warm blanket around himself. He tucked his legs up underneath himself as Elisa sat on the coffee table in front of him with the first aid kit.

“Smart-ass.” She grinned, leaning forward to look at his wounds. “I gotta give it to you Leo, those wounds are healing _really_ fast. You’re not even really bleeding anymore.” She stated, taking a damp cloth to wipe the edges of the wound clean of the small amounts of blood still seeping out.

“Well I also got lucky it was my plastron. That heals the fastest.” Leo sucked in a breath when Elisa applied an antibacterial ointment to the wounds.

“You know,” Elisa started, setting the ointment down as she looked over her shoulder before turning back to Leo. “Brooklyn really likes you.” Leo quirked a brow. “I mean really _likes_ you.” Elisa smirked at the blush that invaded Leo’s cheeks. “And I can tell you like him too. Plus, I haven’t seen him get along with someone so well since we became friends.” Leo let out a pained sighed, closing his eyes. “But I take it something’s holding _you_ back?”

“It’s… complicated…” Leo responded, looking back up at the human. “That’s part of the reason I’m out here instead of… back home…”

“I see.” Elisa smiled sympathetically, pulling out some gauze to cover the wounds with. “Look, I understand that feeling, I really do.” She continued, taping the gauze with a precision Leo had only seen Donnie use. “But you can’t hide your heart just because it gets hurt a few times. I can only assume it was one of your brothers that hurt you,” Leo blinked in shock. “You only ever talk about two of them, but you said you had three. Don’t worry, I’m not judging you.” Elisa chuckled, sitting back up. “But listen, Brooklyn’s been shut-off for so long. Hudson, who’s the oldest of the gargoyle clan and myself are the only people he really talks to. Lex is buried in his technology, or I think Brooklyn might talk to him too, Broadway and Angela are wrapped around each other _constantly_ and, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, Goliath and he tend to butt heads a lot. But now _you_ came along. He’s opening up again! I’m not even sure if _he’s_ aware of it yet.”

Leo bit his lip, moving his eyes to the closed bathroom door. “I guess I could… I don’t know Elisa…”

“Hey,” The human laid a hand over Leo’s and the contact helped to ease Leo’s nerves a bit. “I’m not trying to push you. I’m just trying to give you a little encouragement. No matter what happens, I think you and Brooklyn would be good for each other. Maybe you’ll just stay friends, maybe you’ll become something more. I don’t know. But I can tell you want to try and I want to encourage you to do so. You both deserve to have someone to lean on right now, and I think you two can really help one another. I think you’re more alike than even the two of you realize.”

Leo nodded, a small smile creeping onto his lips. “You’re very persuasive, you know that?”

Elisa grinned. “It goes with the job.” She chuckled, standing up. “Besides, when you’re in a relationship with someone like Goliath, its helps to be persuasive.

Leo laughed as Elisa moved back to the kitchen. Maybe this would be okay after all… Maybe it would be good for him…. Maybe… Maybe he could finally move on.


	20. Reason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluff coming your way!!! (Also please see the end notes for explanations on some things in this chapter.)

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,457  
Rating PG-13   
Warnings: language; mild mentions of blood  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo; past Brooklyn/unnamed female OC; Goliath/Elisa

 

Brooklyn carefully peeled the gauze off of his wing. Wounds on the gargoyle’s wings always bled the worst because of all of the small veins running through the thin membrane. He hissed when the fabric snagged on a scabbing portion of his wound, pulling the wound open again and making it bleed more.

“Damn you Jackal…” Brooklyn hissed, tossing his loincloth on the counter before stepping into the shower.

Steam filled the room as Brooklyn tried to wrap his head around the way he had been feeling. It was just so easy to talk to Leo and Brooklyn had no idea why. He’d met him only a couple days ago and yet he felt like he’d known him for years. And he was feeling something more.

When Angela had come to the clock tower a two and a half years ago, sure Brooklyn had thought she was pretty and competed with Broadway and, for a short time, Lexington for her attention, but he wasn’t ever sure if he truly ever _loved_ her the way Broadway now did. He didn’t think he had. She had been the first female gargoyle he had been around since…

Brooklyn shook his head. He couldn’t think about her. She was gone and she was never coming back.

The hot water was beginning to wane by the time Brooklyn turned it off. He couldn’t stop thinking about Leo. He was able to come to the conclusion that, yes, he did like Leo. But he had no idea what Leo felt. It seemed like Leo was running from someone like Brooklyn had been for all these years. Maybe it was time for him to move on. His mate was smashed by the Vikings all those years ago, and he hadn’t thought about her in a long time.

Stepping out of the shower, Brooklyn noticed his loincloth was gone.

“I swear that human is like a cat sometimes…” Brooklyn chuckled, patting the wounds on his wing dry to replace the gauze.

Squeezing all the water he could out of his hair, Brooklyn wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out of the bathroom.

“You think you could have told me you were going to steal my clothing?” Brooklyn chuckled, crossing his arm as he looked at Elisa.

“To be honest I didn’t actually think about it until you were already in the shower. They’re in the wash with Leo’s.” Elisa lamented as she handed Leo a cup of tea. Brooklyn rolled his eyes and snorted, walking over to the couch. Leo couldn’t help but sneak a glance as Brooklyn sat next to him. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Brooklyn asked, laying his arm over the back of the couch as he turned to the turtle.

“Yeah, I’m good. Still a little cold, but I’ll be fine.” Leo responded. Brooklyn’s hair had flopped over in front of his horns and swept around his eyes. Leo thought he liked that better.

Brooklyn smiled and nodded, raking his talons through his hair, trying to push his hair back behind his talons. He hated it when it fell into his face and even after his forty-five years of life, he still hadn’t been successful in training it to stay put after it got wet. Brooklyn growled in irritation when some of the hair flopped back into his face. Leo chuckled, watching with a grin at Brooklyn’s frustration.

“If it’s any consolation, I like it better when your hair is in front of your horns.” Leo commented, trying to suppress his blush.

Brooklyn paused, blinking at Leo. He felt a strong heat fill his cheeks at the comment. “Well, you’d be the first…” He mumbled, though his green eyes sparkled with appreciation.

Leo frowned. “You push it back because other people tell you they don’t like it?”

Brooklyn sighed, allowing the few strands that refused to cooperate to stay forward for the moment. “Yes and no.” He sighed, careful of the position of his legs since he was only wearing a towel as he leaned back. “Let’s just say hair for gargoyles is a recessive gene and only started becoming more apparent in the last few decades before I was hatched in an effort to make us seem look more like humans but it was always considered a hindrance in battle and most cut their off or at least short. Goliath kept his because of his standing as leader, same as Hudson and it was more accepted among female gargoyles. So the contrast of my hair against my skin was enough attention, I don’t like it being so ‘big’ and attracting _more_ attention.”

“Times are different now.” Leo offered as Brooklyn tried to get the last few strands back. “I realize gargoyles are probably a _little_ different than humans,” Brooklyn chuckled at this. “But I don’t think you should change yourself because of others.”

Elisa grinned from the kitchen, watching the two interact. She knew they would be good for each other. She had always liked Brooklyn’s hair in front of his horns better, but she understood that coming from a human, her opinion didn’t mean as much to the gargoyle as perhaps Leo’s did.

The group jumped when Elisa’s doorbell rang. Brooklyn and Leo quickly jumped up and his in Elisa’s room as the police woman cautiously checked to see who it was.

“You guys are fine. It’s just Matt.” Elisa called as she opened to door to her partner.

“I see you have someone new in your ranks.” Matt chuckled as he looked at Leo.

“Matt, this is Leonardo. He’s been helping Brooklyn and I with our Pack troubles.” Elisa stated as the two shook hands.

“I can see that.” Matt stated as he spotted the gauze peeking over the top of Leo’s jacket. “Any luck?”

“Not yet.” Brooklyn answered. “Leo and I were close, but there’s a new player in the game.”

Matt frowned. “New player? What are you talking about?”

“His name is Bishop.” Leo stated. “His past is a little fuzzy for us, but the run-ins my brothers and I have had with him show that he has _a lot_ of funding coming in from somewhere. He used to be the leader of some secret government branch but we aren’t sure if that’s the case anymore.”

“Sound like my kind of case.” Matt smirked, turning to Elisa.

“Goddammit Matt.” Elisa mumbled, punching him in the arm, but chuckling.

“You guys need any more help?” Matt asked.

“Any help we could get would be nice.” Brooklyn grumbled, the gauze on his wing catching in his eye.

“I’ll also call my brothers in. If Bishop is calling the shots like it seems he is with The Pack, we’re gonna need more help.”

“Are you gonna call in the clan Brooklyn?” Brooklyn opened his mouth to respond, but Elisa jumped in to answer her partner.

“Let’s just see where we get with Leo’s brothers. We need more help, but we don’t want the group to be too big.”

“Makes sense.” Matt shrugged, Brooklyn mouthing a silent ‘thank you’ to Elisa.

“Here, let me fill you in on what we have to far.” Elisa said, ushering Matt over to the counter.

“You sure you want to call your brothers in?” Brooklyn asked as he and Leo moved back the couch. He could see Leo shivering from the loss of the blanket.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice now.” Leo stated, feeling trepidatious himself.

“But isn’t that the reason you’re out here?” Leo blinked in shock. Brooklyn smiled reassuringly. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out. Plus, before I left I overheard some of the conversation you and your friend Angel had the other night.”

Leo winced. “How much did you hear?”

“Nothing personal, I promise. I don’t think it’s for the same reason, but I’m kind of avoiding home too.” Leo took comfort in Brooklyn’s admission. At least his decision wasn’t _totally_ irrational.

“Okay boys, your clothes are done.” Elisa stated, coming out of a back room with a basket of laundry. “Leo, your shirt was obviously beyond help so I’ll see if I can find something for you around here for the time being.”

Leo nodded and smiled. “Thanks Elisa.”

“No problem.” She stated, tossing Brooklyn his loincloth and belt.

“Jesus!” Brooklyn chuckled, barely catching the garments before the buckle hit him in the face.

“Sorry!” Elisa snorted, setting Leo’s clothing on the coffee table.

“Her nice treatment won’t last for long, trust me.” Brooklyn smirked, elbowing Leo before he got up to go change.

“I didn’t _have_ to wash your clothing you know.” Elisa huffed, earning a wink from Brooklyn as he passed by.

Leo rolled his eyes, pulling his legs back under himself and the blanket. He could get used to this. He really could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few explanations:  
> 1\. I always wondered if the trio ever had any love interests or possible mates back in Scotland. It was never mentioned in the show so I thought maybe they did and the just didn't like to think about it? I don't know. Brooklyn's unnamed mate probably won't be described to deeply or show up that often, but I liked the idea of he and Leo having something to connect with a little bit more.  
> 2\. I always had this head-cannon that Brooklyn's hair wasn't naturally pushed back behind his horns like that, that he had always wanted it to because:  
> 3\. Since gargoyles seem to share more characteristics as reptiles, I always thought it was a little weird that so many of them had hair. This is just my way of explaining that.


	21. Less than Amused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God, college is kicking my _ass_! But I finally got another chapter done for you lovelies! Chapters that are kind of in between action sequences are hardest to write for me. I guess it's cause I know where I want to go, I just have to _get_ there. XD Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! I only have about three weeks left of this semester and then a month off for Christmas so I hope to have more chapters up soon!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count:   
Rating PG-13   
Warnings: mild language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo

 

The group worked through the rest of the night, trying to come up with a plan of action for how to deal with a smartened Pack.

“I will say, I’m not used to losing to The Pack.” Brooklyn grumbled. Leo chuckled at the gargoyle’s statement, knowing all too well how he felt. 

Leo’s body temperature had finally returned to normal. He could feel a connection that had formed between he and Brooklyn in the short time they had been talking. He could feel himself pouting when Brooklyn continued to push stray hands of hair back behind his horns. He really did like how the gargoyle looked with his hair in his face.

“We need to pull The Pack out in the open.” Elisa stated, running a hand through her hair as the four sat around Elisa’s counter. They had been deliberating for several hours and still hadn’t figured out a secure plan of attack.

“If we could figure out what Bishop wanted it would make this process a thousand times easier…” Leo huffed, the bandages pulling at his plastron as he leaned forward against the counter.

“His first name wouldn’t happen to be John, would it?” Matt asked.

Leo and Elisa quirked their brows at the red-head. “Yes, it is.” Leo responded.

“Black hair, always wears sunglasses over fairly dead yes.”

“Ye-es…?”

“He’s an eleventh seat in the Illuminati. I could see if I could talk with him.” Silence fell over the group as all eyes turned to Matt. “What?”

“Hours, Matt!” Elisa groaned. “We’ve been sitting here for hours, and you just _now_ think of this?!”

“Jesus Christ Matt…” Brooklyn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Sorry! It wasn’t exactly a topic of interest until I just thought of it!” Matt defended.

“If you weren’t my partner…” Elisa chuckled, shaking her head. “When do you think you’ll be able to talk with him?”

“We’re having a meeting tomorrow night. I’ll see if I can get some information out of him.” Matt answered.

Leo chewed his lip. “That’s risky… Bishop is sharp, as much as it pains me to say. He’d get suspicious the moment you approached him with twenty questions.”

Matt chuckled. “I have been a detective for six years, Elisa’s partner for four, and managed to infiltrate the Illuminati, only to be offered a membership. I know about stealth.”

“Jesus you sound like Casey…” Leo groaned, only able to picture Raph’s bumbling friend screwing up his plans.

“As much as Matt can be naïve,” Elisa started, earning a ‘Hey!’ of complaint from Matt. “He does know how to be covert when he needs to be.”

“Thank you!” Matt said, grinning at Elisa.

“Don’t push it, conspiracy nerd.” Elisa rolled her eyes affectionately.

“Well it’s certainly better than no plan at all.” Leo smiled, shivering when Brooklyn’s tail brushed against his leg. The terrapin stole a glance at the gargoyle, a darker red tint grew on Brooklyn’s cheeks as the gargoyle tried to look nonchalant. Leo couldn’t help but grin. “I’ll call my brothers in tomorrow night, see if they have anything else to input.”

Brooklyn caught the little glint in Leo’s eye. “Is there something we should know before your brothers get here?” He chuckled. 

“Well, Mikey’s a _bit_ of a prankster… Don’t be surprised if you find strange gags around your apartment, Elisa.”

Elisa snorted. “Trust me, I think I can handle a little pranking. After all, I’ve gone through two couches because of Bronx and Cagney.” Brooklyn laughed at the memories of Cagney and Bronx’s first meeting. Cagney was less than amused when Bronx tried to be her friend.

“Did you bring the stuff I asked you for?” Brooklyn was shaken out of the memory when Elisa spoke again.

“Oh, yeah!” Matt snapped his fingers as if it were some sort of memory retention trick before walking back over to the front door. He bent over and grabbed the bag he had dropped just inside the door way before moving back to the kitchen. “I wasn’t sure how much to get so I got two rolls.” Leo quirked a brow as Matt pulled out two large rolls of, what looked like, saran wrap.

“I think that’ll be plenty…” Elisa chuckled, picking one of the tubes up.

“What is that?” Leo and Brooklyn both asked, puzzled.

“Oh, it’s for my window.” Elisa explained, looking up at the two. “The window repairmen can’t get here until later next month, so, until then, I need to seal it off with something. I just happen to know that this stuff does the trick.”

Leo vaguely remembered something about April’s window cracking and using a similar product to seal it up until she could get it replaced, but that was Donnie’s territory, not his.

“Is there anything else you need?” Matt asked. “Normally, I’d give you grief for making me run your errands, but with what Leo’s said about this Bishop character, I think it’s safer.”

“I don’t need protection!” Elisa growled, tossing her head back.

“I seem to recall you saying something similar the day we met.” Elisa glowered at the red-head’s smirk, decisively ignoring Brooklyn’s snort.

“But to answer your question, no, I don’t think so. I already called Captain Chavez and requested for some time off. She gave me _twice_ as much as I asked for. Why does everyone think it’s so weird that I _like_ going in for my job?” Leo smiled as he watched Matt mull over a sarcastic comment before deciding not to say it. Matt had more of a filter than Casey, but the more he got to know the human, the more Leo continued to think he would make good friends with Casey.

Leo was surprised with himself at how easily he seemed to fall into this small group. It was almost like a second version of his family, only a bit larger. Matt had gotten a call on his radio and had to leave. He thought no one was looking when he gave Elisa a brotherly kiss on her temple before leaving. Elisa, however, knew Leo was looking and just smiled.

“He’s been protective over me ever since Goliath, Bronx and I came back with Angela after our ‘World Tour’ as we put it. I think it shook him not to know where I was for so long. Plus he’s seven years older than me and grew up with three younger sisters. It’s kind of nice to have someone like an older sibling. I’ve never had that before.”

“Are you the oldest in your family?” Leo asked, leaning back in his chair with a fresh cup of tea.”

“Yeah. I’m the oldest, then Derek came after me, who, I’m sure you’ll meet eventually, and then our little sister Beth. It’s nice to be the oldest sibling, but it’s also nice to-”

“To have someone watch out for you. I get that. I’m the eldest of my brothers.”

“I can tell.” Elisa grinned, grabbing the rolls of plastic and heading back to her room. “Brooklyn! Make sure you don’t turn to stone inside my apartment, only out on the balcony, or _you_ will be cleaning the stone up!” She hollered.

“I’m staying?” Brooklyn asked, quirking a brow.

“You’re not going back to the castle anyway, so it’ll be safer for you here than on some random rooftop.”

“I swear, you’re a telepath.”

“No, I’m a woman.”

Brooklyn and Leo laughed at the comment settling into a comfortable silence before Brooklyn spoke up.

“Seems like we have a whole apartment of oldest siblings.” He chuckled.

“You’re the oldest too?” Leo wondered, turning his eyes to Brooklyn over his mug.

Brooklyn nodded his affirmation. “Broadway and Lexington are my rookery brothers, and I hatched a few days before them. But I also had three biological siblings. Around the time I was hatched, the Wyvern clan anyway, were starting to change their views on parenting.”

Leo frowned. “How so?”

“Well, for a long time, gargoyle hatchlings were raised to look at the whole clan as their parents. It was thought that doing so would make the clan stronger. But most of the females couldn’t quite quell their motherly instincts, and ended up taking on a ‘child’ per se. That caused tension if their biological child found out, so many mothers started raising their own children. Some of the fathers would as well, like my dad did, but most were content with the way things were.

“My mother and father raised my siblings and I, much to Goliath’s frustration. He had always been a stickler for that rule in particular, for some odd reason, but it was easier back then to ignore his hissy fits over little things like that.”

“I’m sensing tension between you and your leader, because you don’t strike me as the time to defy him…”

Brooklyn rolled his eyes. “Don’t get me started. Anyway, a female gargoyle only had three heat cycles, so biologically she can usually only have three children.”

“But you said you had three siblings?”

“I had a twin. It was such a rarity for gargoyles to have twins that no one had ever been a twin at Wyvern until my sister and I came along. Then, five years later our younger brother and eight after that our sister.” Brooklyn’s face seemed to glow with the memory of his family. Leo felt his heart ache when he realized how lonely Brooklyn must have felt to have woken up a thousand years later without them.

“You’re looking at me with pity in your eyes.” Brooklyn smirked as Leo blinked at him.

“Sorry…” Leo chuckled, setting his mug down. “It’s just… I couldn’t imagine waking up one day without my brothers…”

Brooklyn smiled, sitting on the stool next to the turtle. “It still hurts sometimes; to think about them. But I have a new life here, in New York and I know my mother would come down from heaven and kick my ass if I let myself get too depressed thinking about them.” At this Leo laughed, liking how it made Brooklyn’s smile widen. “It’s strange, because I think the fact that I had a close bond with all of them makes it easier to move on. I don’t have any regrets, or things I wanted to say, but didn’t get the chance to.”

Leo gulped. He _did_ have regrets in regards to his brothers. _Several_ actually. He wondered if they had regrets too.

“Hey,” Brooklyn’s tone softened as Leo looked back up at him. “Don’t beat yourself up, I can tell what you’re thinking.”

“And you think _Elisa_ is the telepath.”

Brooklyn chuckled. “No, I just know the look of an older brother. I don’t think you have anything to regret, Leo. Even if you think there’s something that’s been left unsaid, you still have time, cause I don’t think any of your brothers are going anywhere anytime soon, and I’m sure as hell not letting you die until you pay me back for saving your ass all those times.” At this, Brooklyn and Leo laughed, unaware they were being watched.

Elisa smiled from her leant position in her bedroom door way. She knew Leo would be good for Brooklyn. Apparently, they were both good for one another. She wondered how far their relationship would go, how long it would take, but for the moment, she was happy that Brooklyn had someone else to talk to. Someone who could understand him better than she or Hudson could. And the light she saw in his eyes, oh that was something she hadn’t seen in a long, _long_ time. She silently prayed to let this relationship last, and flourish as long as it could. God knows Brooklyn needed it. It seemed Leo did too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more little explanations. It always seemed like it would be rare for gargoyles to have twins, so I kind of added that little headcannon in. I also kind of see some of, at least the mothers, defying the 'whole clan are your parents' thing, because of motherly instinct. Tell me what you guys think!


	22. Sure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry you guys. I've actually had this chapter done for some time, but I had to fight with my computer for internet, plus studying for finals, until I finally had to reset the network settings. Now I finally have internet and I can post this chapter!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,071  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: mild language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo

 

“ _You sure you want us all to come, Leo?_ ” Leo groaned, rubbing the bridge of his snout.

“I don’t see what other option we have, Don. We need all the help we can get.” Leo answered.

“ _Okay, if you’re sure. Of course, that all depends on if I can get Raph out of his room…_ ”

“He’s really upset, isn’t he?” Leo felt a pang of guilt well in his gut.

“ _Now don’t start feeling guilty!_ ” Don practically snapped, making Leo frown. “ _This was in no way your fault. Raph was going to find out what Colton had done one way or another, but perhaps this was the best way. You weren’t here, so Colton listened to what Raph had to say, and Raph listened to what I said. If you had been here, I’m afraid it would have blown up into something worse, and someone may have gotten hurt. So stop blaming yourself bro!_ ”

Leo sighed, but conceded Don’s point. It _was_ a good thing he hadn’t been there. Don was right, someone probably _would_ have gotten hurt, and it most likely would have been Colton. That would have pissed Raph off even more, even if he had been mad at the human, and just inflamed the situation farther, which was the _very last_ thing any of them needed.

“ _Just send me Elisa’s address, okay? Should I brink Casey?_ ”

“No, don’t do that. If Casey’s in on this, April will just worry even more, maybe even try to follow him and, just, no…” Don chuckled, a warm sound that always made Leo smile.

“ _I’ll get the others and we’ll be over as soon as we can tomorrow night._ ”

“Sounds good.” Leo slid the phone shut, spinning it around in his fingers as he mulled over seeing Raph so soon. He felt he could control himself, especially since Raph was already hurting. He was more concerned about the way _Raph_ would act. Plus, there was his added confusion with Brooklyn. What would it be like having both of them in the same room?

As if hearing his thoughts, Brooklyn stepped over to the couch.

“You okay?” He asked, worry etched on his features, making Leo feel warm inside.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Leo responded, shooting the gargoyle a smile before forwarding Elisa’s address to his brother.

“You sound very convincing.” Brooklyn smirked, settling on the couch next to Leo, laying his arm on the back of the couch behind Leo. Leo felt a tingle in his gut. “It’s okay to not be okay.”

“So philosophical.” Leo chuckled. “I know it’s okay, I just… I’m a little confused right now…”

“Does it have to do with the reason you left home?”

Leo nodded. “That’s part of it yes.”

The way Leo looked at him, that slight glimmer in his eye, made Brooklyn’s stomach flutter. He had an idea of what the other part was, but he didn’t want to voice his thoughts in case he was wrong. He settled for a smile, thought about placing his hand on Leo’s shoulder, but retracted the idea when the palm of his hand started itching at the thought.

“You don’t need to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

Leo smiled again. “I know that. Thank you, but really, I’ll be okay. I’ve dealt with worse with less time to prepare.”

Brooklyn opened his mouth to respond before Elisa came back into the room, ruffling her black hair with a towel, trying to get it as dry as possible.

“Note to self, never get melted plastic in your hair. It’s a _bitch_ to get out…” Brooklyn choked on a chuckled, biting his lip and smirking at the human as she pointed an accusatory finger at the gargoyle. “I blame you.”

An hour previously, the three had worked to get the plastic covering over Elisa’s window to block out the cold. The shattered glass had been vacuumed by a grumbling Elisa before the event so she didn’t have to figure out shoes for Brooklyn. Elisa hadn’t allowed Leo to do anything with his arms above his head, as she was afraid he would hurt himself again. Leo tried to reassure her that he would be fine, but she hadn’t believed him. Good thing too because Leo had been lying.

Elisa had put Brooklyn in charge of the hair dryer. His job was to melt and shrink the plastic to the window frame as Elisa and Leo held it in place. Brooklyn had tried to get Elisa to pull her hair back, but Elisa decided to be stubborn, and quickly regretted it.

On the last stretch of the window, Elisa’s hair had gotten layered around the plastic. Brooklyn hadn’t realized it until it was too late, and some plastic covering had already been melted into the black strands. Elisa grumbled even more, allowing Leo to take over holding the plastic once everything high up was done so she could go try and get the plastic out of her hair. Brooklyn had shouted a quick ‘I told you’ after the human, only to be hit in the head with a roll of toilet paper.

“Be glad that’s all I had in my reach!” Elisa chuckled before disappearing into the bathroom, only now just resurfacing.

“Remember, if you turn to stone in here, you’ll have to clean up the mess tomorrow night!” Elisa grinned at Brooklyn, knowing the gargoyle was dreading going out in the cold. Of the gargoyle clan, he and Lex had the least body fat to help keep them warm. Both had wiry figures, but their looks were deceiving, especially Brooklyn’s; all muscle, through and through.

“I know, I’m going, I’m going…” Brooklyn groaned, catching the first rays of the sun peaking over the horizon.

“I’m sorry. I’ll have the window unlocked so you can get back in tomorrow night.” Elisa chuckled, feeling a little guilty for banishing Brooklyn out to the cold.

Brooklyn smiled as he slipped out through the window, deciding not to be an ass and leave the window open, since Leo was sitting closest to where the draft would be. If it had just been Elisa, he may have left it cracked just enough so she wouldn’t notice for a while. Glancing one last time behind himself, and catching Leo staring, Brooklyn felt a little self-conscious as he fanned his wings out for the day. What he didn’t know, was Leo rather enjoyed the show.


	23. Playful Banter

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,777  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: mild language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo

 

Since the window had been covered in her room, and the glass cleaned up, Elisa had insisted that Leo take the guest bedroom. Leo had tried to deny the offer, insisting that he had already imposed too much and thought he should leave and head back to the sewer area he had been staying in. Elisa was having none of it.

“You are not going to sleep out on the cold concrete again, Leonardo!” She scolded, practically shoving Leo in the direction of the guest bedroom.

“Elisa, it’s fine!” Leo chuckled, almost calling the female April.

“No, it’s not. I never have guests over anyway, so it’s good that that room is getting some use.”

“Elisa, I left my bike out there, and if anything happens to it, my brother will-”

“So I’ll send someone to get it and bring it here to park in my building’s garage.”

“No, you don’t need to-”

“Where did you park it?”

“Elisa-”

“Do I need to go searching myself?” Sighing in defeat, Leo gave Elisa the intersection nearest to the alley he had parked in. “Your bike will be here tonight. Now go get some sleep. You look like you could really use it.”

“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” Elisa grinned, shooting Leo a wink before turning and disappearing into her bedroom. Stealing one last look behind himself at the now stone Brooklyn, Leo walked into the offered bedroom. Oh this was going to be one hell of an interesting night…

Leo could not deny that the bed felt much better than the concrete of the sewers had, and it was even better than Elisa’s couch. Practically once his head hit the pillow, Leo was falling asleep. He hadn’t realized how tired he had been from the fight earlier. Nearly going into hypothermia will do that to a turtle, Leo thought with a grin, just as he drifted off.

Leo’s dreams were a wash in hormones and erotic images. All he remembered when he woke up, was seeing a lot of red. Now, as much as the little voice in Leo’s head was telling him what he already knew, Leo tried to rationalize the red was because Raph wore a red bandanna, never mind the fact that he hadn’t woken up in tears after his dreams.

 

_Sure Leo,_

 

He thought to himself.

 

_Just keep telling yourself that…_

 

However, these dreams had left Leo with a rather large problem. He didn’t feel that he should take care of himself in Elisa’s bed, but he didn’t exactly want to risk a walk to the bathroom either, as he didn’t know if Elisa was up yet, and the only bathroom was in her bedroom. Plus, he was wearing sweatpants and he didn’t have the most inconspicuous of hard-ons between he and his brothers.

As Leo contemplated over his predicament, his phone began buzzing on the night stand. Reaching over, trying not to groan at the friction, Leo answered his phone.

“ _You woke up with a Woodie, didn’t ya, bro?_ ” Leo groaned at the chipper in Mikey’s voice. “ _I can totally tell by your tone._ ”

“ _ **Mikey, shut your mouth!**_ ” Came Donnie’s shouted reply from the background.

“ _What? I was just joking!_ ”

Leo chuckled. “ _You called for a reason I assume, you little turd?_ ”

“ _Okay, first of all, not nice. Secondly, yup. As soon as we can get Raph’s lazy ass out of bed, we’re gonna be on our way._ ”

“ _ **So, in other words, it could be a while.**_ ”

“Just let me know when you’re on your way over.” Leo laughed, waiting for confirmation before closing the line. He didn’t need Mikey’s twenty-questions about why he woke up in such a state, which, luckily, had died down during the conversation with his brother. The idea of having to explain a Woodie to your brother kind of kills the urge.

Leo unconsciously ran his fingers along the bandages from the night previously as he got out of bed and moved out into the living room. Brooklyn was closing the window as the turtle made his appearance.

“Hey, you doing okay?” The gargoyle asked, eyeing Leo’s fingers as they played with his bandages.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine!” Leo chuckled, moving his hand into his jacket pocket. “Kind of an unconscious tick.”

Brooklyn smiled. “When do you think your brothers will be here?” He asked.

“Depends on how fast Donnie and Mikey can get Raph’s lazy butt out of bed.” Brooklyn quirked a brow at the unconscious irritation in Leo’s tone, but caught Elisa shaking her head at him from the kitchen, so decided not to say anything.

Before Elisa let Leo start eating breakfast, she insisted that he let her check his wounds.

“Damn, that healing factor of yours is no joke!” She breathed, peeling back the bandages to find the wounds had already healed. There was still redness as the new scar tissue formed, but the wounds were no longer open and Elisa deemed it safe to remove the bandages. “Between you and the gargoyles, I’m not sure who heals faster…” Elisa muttered, a hint of jealousy in her tone, pulling part of the gauze off of Brooklyn’s wing as she walked by.

“Ow!” Brooklyn whined, his wing jerking up from his shoulder into the air. “The tape is still adhered to my skin you jerk!” Though he grinned all the same.

“Sorry!” Elisa laughed, covering her mouth in apology. “I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Brooklyn chuckled, pulling his wing back down to finish taking the bandages off.

Brooklyn’s scar tissue had already formed, the flesh of his wing a lighter shade where Jackal had torn it open. Leo admired Brooklyn’s wings for a moment before the red gargoyle refolded them over his shoulders and pretended not to notice Leo staring.

“Okay, so I’m going to assume your brothers will have eaten before they get here?” Elisa asked, turning the stove on to start their breakfast.

“They better, or else they’d be assuming you’d feed them.” Leo answered, chuckling none-the-less.

“Well, they would have been assuming correctly.” Elisa defended, mixing eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg together for French toast. “Besides, well stocked fridge, remember?”

“Honestly, as long as you have pizza, my brothers would be happy.”

Brooklyn pretended to gag. “I still don’t understand how people like pizza.”

“Wait,” Leo laughed, turning to Brooklyn with an incredulous look on his face. “You don’t like pizza, yet you live in _New York_?”

“Fight me, Leo. Pizza is disgusting, and greasy, and I will defend that stance till the end of time.”

“Still, you live in _New York_. We’re kind of known for our pizza joints.”

“Yeah, but you wanna know what’s weirder? Goliath hates mutton, and we lived in 994 A.D. Scotland.”

“Wasn’t mutton like, the _main_ meat dish?”

“Yup, and he refused to go near it. So I’d say my hatred of pizza is more justified than that.”

“Nah, you’re still weird.” Elisa smiled, listening to the two banter behind her. She didn’t want to get caught staring, but inside, she was screaming with joy.

“Says the giant talking turtle, who, apparently, should have grown up in Japan.” Brooklyn smirked back, leaning a little closer to Leo.

“Hey,” Leo retorted, also leaning forward. “Up until the clock tower exploded, I thought gargoyles were just disturbing statues on old buildings and they did a musical number in _Hunch Back of Notre Dame_.”

“Being a mythical creature is different than something no one has ever heard of before.”

“Be nice!” Leo laughed, lightheartedly shoving at Brooklyn’s arm. Brooklyn smirked, bringing his tail around to swipe at Leo’s ankles.

“It’s just playful banter.” The gargoyle shrugged, leaning back up, his tail still swishing around Leo’s legs. Admittedly, Leo didn’t exactly want Brooklyn to stop.

 

_Okay, there’s_ definitely _something here. I’m not just crazy._

 

Brooklyn thought, feeling his heart do a little flip in his chest.

 

_I wonder…_

 

Brooklyn allowed his tail to twist around Leo’s ankle. He watched Leo’s chest dip at the feeling in the corner of his eye, so he allowed his tail to stay there. Leo’s tongue worked behind his teeth, every nerve firing along his ankle where Brooklyn’s tail was wrapped, and all he could think of was _more_. Images flashed back to his head of his dreams, and Leo could no longer rationalize that the red he had seen was Raph’s bandanna. Well… at least not _all_ of it could have been.

As Elisa brought the breakfast over to the counter, she noticed the pink tint to Leo’s cheeks, and the darkening of Brooklyn’s. She had to physically bite the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming out an ‘Oh my God’ of delight. She couldn’t believe she had been right! Sure, she could read Brooklyn like a book with how close the two had gotten over the past years since they had met, but if she were being honest, she had totally been flying on blind faith when she had talked to Leo in the nights previous. She was so proud of her insights in fact, that she couldn’t help adding a little skip to her last step, which neither male seemed to notice.

“I think we should go back to the warehouse from last night.” Leo stated, stabbing another piece of his breakfast with his fork.

“Really?” Brooklyn asked, looking at Leo a little surprised.

Leo nodded. “I don’t think they’ll be there anymore, especially if Bishop is as in control as he seems, but there may be something there for Donnie to try and use to track one of The Pack members.”

“You sure they won’t still be there?” Elisa asked, leery of the idea of returning the night after to the place where the two males had been ambushed.

“No,” Leo answered honestly, noting the discomfort in Elisa’s eyes. “But this time they won’t be able to get the drop on us if they are there. We’ll go in assuming they are there, so we’ll be alert for them the whole time. Plus, there will be more of us there this time. Five against three instead of two against three.”

“I like our odds better already.” Brooklyn grinned. “Especially if we don’t have to bail back into the sewers again.”

“Yeah, no that’s not in the plan this time.” Leo chuckled, the tip of Brooklyn’s tail running along the tendons of his ankle.

“I’m gonna run out of first aid supplies by the time this is all over aren’t I?” Elisa muttered, holding her head in her hand at the thought. “I should start filing all the bandages I buy under my tax returns…”


	24. So Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the short chapter after so long. Things got a little crazy over the holidays.

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 811  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: mild language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo; past Raph/Leo; mentioned Colton/Raph

 

_His hand is so close…_

 

Brooklyn’s tail twitched as Leo’s finger brushed over his.

 

_I could grab it…_

 

Brooklyn’s finger’s ached. He wanted to grab Leo’s hand. He couldn’t think of a time he wanted something more. It was strange though, the pull he had to the turtle. He had known him only a few days, but Brooklyn felt as though he could talk to Leo as an old friend.

Leo looked over to the gargoyle, and their eyes met for a moment before a knock sounded at Elisa’s window. The trio looked up to find Leo’s brothers waiting on the balcony. Leo motioned for them to come in and Donnie and Mikey took the invitation freely. Raph hesitated for a moment before stepping into the apartment.

As Raph followed Donnie and Mikey over to the counter, he ran his tongue along his still swollen lip.

“That looks like it hurts.” Leo commented. Raph glanced at him.

“Yeah, it does.” He grumbled. “You ain’t gonna punch me again, are ya?” He asked, giving Leo a wary look.

“Depends,” Leo frowned, though it held more question than anger. “Are you going to be an asshole again?” Raph lightly shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest and looked away. Brooklyn quirked a brow, watching the exchange, questions raising in his mind that he decided to hold onto until later.

“What a warm welcome.” Mikey smirked, earning a slack across the back of his head from Raph. “Rude!” Mikey whined, punching Raph’s arm. Raph growled, ready to tackle Mikey to the ground before Leo shouted.

“Enough! Not here; not now!” He snapped, making the two brothers jump. “We have more to deal with here than Mikey being annoying!”

“Hey…” Mikey whined, pouting. “Good to see our fearless leader hasn’t lost any of his leader ‘charm’.”

“Mikey.” Donnie warned, watching Leo’s brow quirk in irritation. Mikey quickly straightened, turning to see Elisa watching them, an amused grin on her face.

“Guys, this is Elisa Maza.” Leo said, gesturing to the human female. “Elisa, these are my brothers, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael.” Donnie smiled and Mikey waved, making Elisa laugh. Raph simply grunted, making Leo roll his eyes. “And this is Brooklyn.” A small smile inched its way onto Leo’s lips as he introduced the red gargoyle to his brothers. Donnie quirked a brow, a knowing smirk playing at his own lips as he caught Elisa doing the same thing from the corner of his eye. Elisa looked to him, winking before turning her attention back to Leo.

“So what are we dealing with?” Raph asked, still refusing to make eye contact with Leo.

“We’re trying to capture Hyena, to we can see if we can tap into her memories and figure out what Bishop’s plan is.” Leo explained. “We’re sort of using a moral loop hole on this.”

“Finally takin’ a page out of _my_ book, huh?” Raph let the smallest hint of a smirk play over his lips.

Don turned to his brother with an incredulous look. “You have morals?”

“Ohhhh… Shots fired.” Elisa chuckled, earning a small glare from Raph. “Oh honey, your glare has _nothing_ on my boyfriend’s.” Raph huffed, his pride wounded slightly, as he turned his gaze back to the floor. “Touchy is he?”

“You have no idea…” Leo groaned, holding his head in his hand.

“Oh, so I come to help you, and yer just gonna slam me?!” Raph hissed, glaring at Leo.

“Raph, please, can we not do this now?” Leo asked, anxiety welling in his gut.

“How many times do I have ta say I’m sorry?! I pretty much threw Colton out after I found out what’d he’d done!”

“I know Raph! But right now that’s not an issue!”

“No, of course not.” Raph grumbled, clenching his fists. “It only ever matters what you think.”

“Raph-”

“Our fearless leader’s vote and opinion are the only things that matter!”

“Raph enough!”

Raph ground his back teeth, trying to chomp down on his anger. “Whatever…” He hissed, shaking his head. Leo sighed, his heart aching and just wanting to cry. He should have known this wouldn’t go well. He should have known Raph would blow up, embarrass him, and right in front of Brooklyn too.

Brooklyn’s eyes scanned over Raph’s form. Was he the reason Leo had left home? It made sense, what with the _warm_ greeting. Leo’s face told Brooklyn everything he needed to know; he wasn’t the only one running from a broken heart.

And there it was again. That urge Brooklyn got to reach out at grab Leo’s hand.

 

_It’s so close…_

 

He wanted to reach out. He wanted to comfort the turtle. But he settled for wrapping his tail around Leo’s ankle again. Leo visibly relaxed at the contact, the muscles in his shoulders easing as he sat up straight.

 

_Maybe next time…_


	25. Just Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all you lovely readers! Since the last chapter was to short, I tried to make this one extra long for all of you! Now we get to see Brooklyn and Leo interact with Leo's brothers and the tension continues to unfold! I hope you're all still enjoy reading, and I thank each and every one of you for continuing to read and leave all of your lovely comments!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,943  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: mild language; mentions of blood  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo; mentioned past Raph/Leo

 

Several hours passed before the group of misfits decided on a plan.

“It’s going to take all of us working together to get this done.” Leo stated, crossing his arms on the counter as he leaned forward. “Last night they managed to surprise Brooklyn and I.”

“Are you sure this is a great idea?” Mikey mumbled, shifting from one foot to another.

“Like I’ve said before, no, I’m not positive.” Leo admitted. “I like it even less than the rest of you, but this could be our only chance.”

“Our best bet is to separate Hyena from, at the very least, Jackal.” Brooklyn took over explanations as he knew more about The Pack than Leo. “Those two work together like clockwork. They get you cornered, you’re _going_ to come out with a few new scars. Wolf, while he’s strong, isn’t as big of an issue. You piss him off, get him away from the group, he loses control and it’s easy to take him out. If we can get Jackal _and_ Wolf separated from Hyena first, that’s even better, but not necessary. Taking out Jackal should be our first priority.”

“And the best way to do that?” Donnie asked. “These two don’t seem easy to dispatch without a knock to the head.”

“Honestly, wound Jackal’s pride and he’ll most likely do all the work for you.” Brooklyn smirked, crossing his arms. “The siblings may be part machine, but I don’t think they use any of the technology in their heads, metal or otherwise.”

“How ‘bout we just go through the asshat who created them in the first place.” Raph hissed.

“If he had any control over them, I’m sure Xanatose would have done something about them by now.”

“And you say that because?”

“Raph, watch it.” Leo warned, giving his brother a stern look.

“Because my clan and I live with him.” Raph worked his back teeth, looking way from the knowing smirk on Brooklyn’s face. “Look, Raph was it?” Raph turned back at the mention of his name. “True, I don’t know everything that’s happened to create this situation or whatever it is,” Leo’s cheeks flushed. He should have known Brooklyn would pick up on the reason for the tension. After all, he and Elisa seemed at least equivalent in intellect, and Brooklyn seemed even more intelligent. “But going in pissed off is just going to get you killed. You seem like a good fighter, and I get how hard it is to control emotions, but this is bigger than a petty pissing match you have going on.”

“Who the fuck do ya think ya are?” Raph growled.

“I’m the guy you _don’t_ want to tangle with in the middle of a battle, especially if I’m supposed to be on _your_ side.” Brooklyn responded, trying to keep a level head. “If things go sideways, because you can’t keep your temper under control-”

“You don’t know anything about me asshole!”

“Raphael!” Leo shouted, trying to position himself between Brooklyn and his brother.

“I’m not claiming I do.” Brooklyn agreed. “But I could tell from the moment you walked in your head wasn’t fully in the game. And with your friend Bishop involved, from what I understand, it _needs_ to be. Up until yesterday, I didn’t think The Pack would _ever_ pose such a big threat. Now they have someone with an actual _brain_ calling the shots. I’ve never seen The Pack so coordinated.” Raph shifted from one foot to the other, sizing Brooklyn up.

“Raph, you’re _not_ gonna win.” Leo stated, pushing Raph back. “Just drop it.”

“So, you’re friends with this guy for what, a week and he’s already more important than family?” Leo groaned, rolling his eyes at Raph’s immaturity.

“Ring, ring, there’s your guilt calling.” Donnie mumbled, rocking on his heels with his hands clasped behind his back as he leaned towards his younger brother. “You gonna pick up Raphie?”

“Why is this all suddenly turning on me?” Raph asked, catching Elisa’s grimace from the kitchen, but decided not to say anything.

“Look, Raph you wanna do this now? Fine.” Leo hissed, glaring down his brother. “Let’s get everything out in the open! Let _everyone_ know what’s going on.” Raph swallowed thickly, unable to tell if Leo was serious or not. “ _Or_ , we can get the job done, figure out what the _hell_ Bishop wants, and take this argument somewhere more _private_. I, for one, am done with you and I dancing around this issue. I’ve been refusing to admit it, and you’ve been refusing to accept it, so if it makes things easier, then get your shit off your shell!” Brooklyn blinked at the harshness in Leo’s tone, and, if he were honest, he kind of like it.

“Fine.” Raph relented, putting his hands up. “I’ll cooperate. I don’t exactly want to end up on a dissection table any more than you.”

“Thank you.”

“So… Where are we going?” Mikey asked, looking around the room as he tried to change the subject.

“These two think it would be good to start at the warehouse where Bishop set his three new attack dogs on them last night.” Elisa grumbled from the kitchen, her arms and legs crossed in a defiant stance at her position on one of the bar stools. “I, personally think that’s a bad idea.”

“Actually, statistically speaking, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Donnie stated, making Elisa grumble.

“I knew you were going to say that…”

“Sorry.” Donnie shrugged. Elisa grinned, shaking her head. “There could very well be something The Pack left behind that could help us figure out where they are now.”

“I don’t supposed Bishop would have left anything behind, would he?” The human asked sarcastically.

“Now wouldn’t that be a wish answered?” Donnie chuckled. “I’ll lay odds Bishop wasn’t even there.”

“There wouldn’t, perhaps be any way you could track them, would there?” Brooklyn asked, his talon running along his belt, a glimmer in his eye after he heard a soft beeping.

“What did you do?” Leo asked, looking at Brooklyn with a quirked brow.

“Okay, I didn’t say anything earlier, because I wasn’t sure if it was going to work.” Brooklyn explained, pulling a small tracker pad from his belt. “When I fought Wolf, I managed to get a type of tracker Lex has been working on onto him.”

“You sly son of a bitch.” Leo laughed, taking the pad when Brooklyn handed it to him.

“That’s my mom you’re talking about, be nice.” Brooklyn grinned, Leo’s eyes looking up at him with a mischievous twinkle. “It’s supposed to track communication waves. The reason Jackal always notices any tracker, is because one of the upgrades he was given allows him to follow signal beams. This tracker beams to cell towers, then to this pad instead of directly to a phone or computer or even a satellite. This way, Jackal can’t differentiate the tracker’s signal from say, a text message from a phone. I didn’t say anything before cause I wasn’t sure if Lex was going to get the tracker he gave me working in time.”

“I could kiss you right now.” Leo stated, turning the pad on, unaware of the smirks Donnie and Elisa shot one another, and the hopeful blush rising in Brooklyn’s cheeks. “My God this is working…”

Donnie moved up next to Leo to look over this shoulder at the pad. “I need to meet this friend of yours, because this tech is amazing…”

“Well, you two are welcome to geek out together cause I understand about a mili-fraction of what Lex talks about.”

“Welcome to my world!” Mikey called from his mission of unwrapping a candy bar he had in his belt.

“Did you bring that with you?” Donnie laughed, looking at his mate.

“I get hungry. You know this.” Mikey countered, taking a large bite out of the bar.

“We haven’t even exerted ourselves yet.”

“Fight me, Donnie!” Donnie rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the tracker pad that was now blinking.

“Looks like it pinpointed the area they’re in.” Leo stated, a red circle showing the block of area The Pack, and hopefully not Bishop, were.

“Does this mean we still need to go to that old warehouse?” Mikey asked through a mouthful of caramel and chocolate.

“Yes, Mikey, we do. They may still have left something behind there that we can use.” Mikey whined with malcontent, practically stamping his foot like a petulant child. Leo chuckled, giving Donnie a ‘that’s yours’ look.

“He’ll be fine…” Donnie stated, grinning rather unconvincingly at his older brother.

 

_My family are all children…_

 

Leo thought to himself, a small smile breaking out over his face.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“ _So was the trip worth it?_ ” Elisa’s voice asked over the new radio she had given Brooklyn.

“Elisa, darling, we _literally_ just got here.” Brooklyn chuckled.

“I don’t understand why I couldn’t come with you!” Elisa huffed. “ _I don’t like waiting around for information, and I don’t think I’ve been this stationary in my apartment in a long time. I don’t like being stagnant!_ ”

“Sounds like April.” Donnie chuckled as he followed Leo through the broken warehouse door.

“Yeah I think those two would get a long _really_ well.” Leo responded, pulling out his flashlight.

“I promise, I will let you know if we find anything, and when we start to head to where The Pack are.” Brooklyn continued.

“ _If you leave anything out, Beak-Boy, I’ll kill you._ ”

“Yes mother.” Brooklyn smirked before slipping the radio back into his belt.

“Where did the bulk of the fighting happen?” Donnie asked, shining his flashlight to the far end of the building. “Looks like a tornado came through here.”

“That tornado’s name is Wolf.” Brooklyn stated, looking at the destruction with a scowl. “Like I said, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He got separated from Jackal and Hyena at the beginning and blundered around back here for a while. Apparently, Wolf’s eyes don’t live up to his name.”

“Your eyes are definitely better.” Leo stated, catching Brooklyn’s attention. The turtle had changed back into the leather outfit he had worn the night previous, and Brooklyn found himself taking the sight in. Leather definitely suited the blue clad turtle.

“There’s a shit ton of markings and blood over here!” Raph called from down the warehouse. “I’m gonna assume this is where Leo let his guard down.” Leo rolled his eyes at the smirk in his brother’s voice as he, Brooklyn and Donnie moved across the warehouse to join Raph and Mikey.

“Damn dudes, how’d you make it out of this one?” Mikey marveled, looking at the amount of blood strewn about the warehouse.

“I think most of that blood is mine.” Leo stated, running his finger along the exposed portion of his new scars as he knelt down when a piece of clear plastic caught his eye. “But it looks like I didn’t bleed in vein.” In Leo’s hand was the mangled earpiece that Wolf must have been wearing the night previous.

“I must have pulled it off Wolf when we were fighting not realizing it, because neither Hyena or Jackal would need an earpiece…” Brooklyn watched as Donnie took the devise from Leo, examining it under the light of his flashlight.

“I think this thing might still work…” The genius stated. “The speaker system is still intact. I just need to hook it up to a transmitter and we might have a direct line to everything The Pack and Bishop say to one another.

“Huh… So this _was_ a good idea!” Mikey cheered, putting his hands on his hips triumphantly. “Score one for team turtle!”

“Only if I can figure out the radio frequency they’re using. But I don’t know if I can. It’s probably a secured network.” Mikey whined at the news, tossing his head back and shaking his shoulders, making his arms swing around himself.

Brooklyn looked at Leo. “I thought you said he would be a pain in the ass?”

“Oh, just wait…” Leo chuckled as he watched his baby brother mess with and poke at Raph, trying to get a reaction out of the hot head. “He hasn’t started his pranks yet.”

“Can’t wait for that…”

“Oh yes you can. Yes, you can.”

Brooklyn laughed. “Thank God you never met _my_ brother.” Even though he was smiling, Leo could see the hurt in Brooklyn’s eyes, and how much he missed his siblings.

“Hey,” Leo lowered his voice so his brother’s couldn’t hear as he lay a hand over Brooklyn’s arm. “I’m sorry. It can’t be easy to watch my brothers.”

Brooklyn smiled, laying his hand over Leo’s. “It’s fine Leo. It’s actually kind of… refreshing. Reminds me of home, or, at least how home _used_ to be.” Leo smiled back, squeezing Brooklyn’s arm reassuringly.

“You were actually able to get this manhole cover up?!” Mikey exclaimed from the end of the warehouse. “The whole damn thing is rusted and must weigh a ton!” To accentuate his point, Mikey tried lifting the cover, only to drop it on his foot. Mikey screeched, hopping in place as he held his bruising foot.

“What the hell did you expect to happen, dumbass?” Raph asked, moving to close the sewer entrance.

“Not this!” Mikey whined, looking down at his foot. “I think I may be dying.”

“You are such a drama queen.” Donnie laughed, stepping over to look at Mikey’s foot. “Babe, you’re fine. It’s just going to bruise.” Brooklyn quirked a brow at the use of ‘babe’, but kept his questions to himself.

“But it hurts!”

“I see what you mean…” Brooklyn mumbled, earning a chuckle from Leo.

“You dropped a giant, metal sewer cover on your foot, you idiot. Of course it’s going to hurt!” Raph grunted.

“Why do you hate me so much?” Raph rolled his eyes as Mikey tried to throw puppy-dog eyes at him.

“Cause you’re adopted.” Raph joked, shoving Mikey in the chest. However, since Mikey’s balance was iffy at best when he was simply walking, with the removal of one foot, Mikey tumbled backwards into one of the old warehouse racks. “Oh shit!” Raph laughed, watching as the old rack tipped over into another, starting a domino effect down to the very end of the warehouse.

“Why do bad thing happen to good people!” Mikey wailed, curling into the fetal position.

Brooklyn’s radio crackled as Mikey continued to try and convince everyone he was dying.

“ _Brooklyn, I just heard a weird screeching coming from my room, like feedback when the mic gets too close to the speakers._ ” Elisa stated over the radio.

“Wait, just now?” Brooklyn asked, frowning as he squinted to look down past the dust the racks had caused.

“ _Yeah just now… Why?_ ”

“Elisa, do me a favor and look around your room. See if you can find a bug, or a mic or something…” Brooklyn asked as he walked back towards the far wall.

“Brooklyn?” Leo cocked his head, following the gargoyle back to the wall.

“Fuck…” Brooklyn hissed, tearing something off the wall.

“ _Brooklyn, I found a receiver._ ” Elisa’s voice was worried as Brooklyn growled down at what was in his hand.

“What is it?” Leo asked, stepping up behind the gargoyle.

“They knew we were coming.” Brooklyn growled, turning around and showing Leo the speaker he held in his hand. “They got the drop on us, because they knew we were coming!”

“Well that explains a lot.” Leo’s blood boiled as he took the speaker from Brooklyn.

“ _The feedback must have come from your side._ ” Elisa sighed.

“I’ll bet it happened when Mikey knocked the racks down.” Donnie muttered, holding his chin in his hand as he contemplated. “It must have two-way communication abilities that weren’t turned off all the way, so the loud bang created the feedback to Elisa’s apartment.”

“Dammit!” Leo hissed. “If they knew we were coming, they might know what we’re planning now!”

“If they know that, they’re going to do everything they can to protect Hyena and keep us from getting to her.” Donnie rubbed his neck even as the words escaped his mouth. “This just got even riskier…”

Leo growled, balling his hands into fists and breathing deeply to try and keep his frustration under control.

“Hey, Leo,” Brooklyn said softly, laying his hand over Leo’s shoulder. Leo looked up at the gargoyle. “We’re going to figure this out.” Brooklyn stated with absolute confidence. “I know The Pack, and even if Bishop is leading them, they’re going to get restless, and when they get restless, they mess up.”

“But if we wait for that, it could be too late!” Leo argued. “People could get hurt.”

“Trust me, Leo, it won’t come to that. We’ll get them before they hurt anyone and Elisa can keep track of the police scanners. We can do this Leo.”

Leo let out a calming sigh, nodding his head. “Okay… We should regroup. Head back to Elisa’s and figure out what our plan is from here.”

“Does this mean I have to walk?” Mikey whined, still sitting on the ground where he had fallen.

Leo chuckled. “Yes, Mikey, this means you have to walk. Unless you want to stay he-”

“Nope, I’m good!” Mikey interrupted, jumping to his feet. “The person who stays behind is always the first person to get killed, or captured.” The group chuckled at Mikey’s reasoning as they made their way back out of the warehouse. As they walked, the backs of Brooklyn and Leo’s hands brushed against one another, and neither could bring themselves to move away, or even clasp the other’s hand.


	26. Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hath returned with another chapter my lovelies! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,110  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: mild language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo; Donnie/Mikey; hinted past Raph/Leo

 

“Well so much for my genius plan.” Brooklyn grumbled as he slid back through the window of Elisa’s apartment.

“No, it was a good plan!” Leo corrected. “In fact it may still be…” Brooklyn turned to Leo with a quirked brow. “Look, we don’t know for _sure_ that The Pack and Bishop know of our plan. We may as well operate under the assumption that they _don’t_ know, but adjust our plans to make sure we don’t get surprised.”

“And I’ve done a thorough sweep of my apartment and the adjacent hallway to make _sure_ there’s no more bugs.” Elisa stated.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in pajamas so late in the night.” Brooklyn smirked, earning a glare from the human.

“Hey, if I’m supposed to be cooped up in here for an indeterminate amount of time, I may as well be comfortable.” Brooklyn chuckled as the rest of the turtles gathered around the living room.

“So what’s the plan now dudes?” Mikey asked, flopping down on the couch as if he were home. Leo opened his mouth to correct his baby brother, but Elisa put a hand on his shoulder, softly shaking her head with a smile to tell him it was okay and she didn’t mind.

“Same as before, only we get to kick more ass than we originally thought.” Raph smirked, twirling his twin sai around in his fingers before sheathing them back in his obi.  
“He always like that?” Elisa asked in Leo’s ear.

“Yeah, and he just gets worse, _trust_ me.” Leo answered with a grumble, crossing his arms.

“Reminds me a little of Brooklyn. The passion, anyway.” Suddenly Leo saw the similarities too. Was he using Brooklyn as a rebound? If so, that wasn’t fair to the red gargoyle.

As he watched Brooklyn interact with his brothers, namely Mikey who had a _million_ questions as per usual, Leo felt a heaviness enter his chest. He was feeling so torn and confused. On one hand, he felt that he really wanted Brooklyn and liked the gargoyle for who he was. But on the other, he could see the similarities _glaring_ back at him between the gargoyle and Raph, and that scared Leo. He didn’t want to end up in the same situation again.

“Leo? You okay?” Elisa’s soft voice broke Leo from his thoughts and he snapped his head towards the human. “Leo?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Leo quickly responded with a smile, turning back to watch Mikey inspect Brooklyn’s wings, an amused smirk plastered to Brooklyn’s beak.

“No you’re not.” Elisa stated matter-of-factly, leaning back against the counter. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing I can really talk about here.” Leo admitted. Brooklyn’s green eyes wandered to meet Leo’s and the gargoyle shook his head with a small chuckle as Mikey watched in awe as Brooklyn unconsciously flexed his wings. Those green eyes felt like daggers that pierced into Leo’s very core and knew everything he was thinking and feeling. Good God Leo was falling fast and he didn’t know how to stop it.

“If you want to talk, just let me know.”

Leo looked back over his shoulder, breaking eye contact with Brooklyn to look at the human. “Why are you doing this?” Leo asked, making the human quirk a brow. “I mean, we met a few days ago, and you’re already treating me like a close friend.”

“Leo,” Elisa chuckled, shaking her head. “What makes you think you _aren’t_ my friend?”

“We met a few days ago!”

“So?” Elisa asked as Leo turned back to the group in the living room. “I knew Goliath for a matter of seconds before he saved my life, and now look where we are. The point is, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve known someone, it’s easy to build a bond if you have something in common.”

“We have something in common?” Leo asked, looking to the human again.

Elisa smiled, nodding her head in Brooklyn’s direction. “That one there, he’s our connection.” Leo felt another swell in his gut, but this time, it was warm. Not like the heaviness he had felt a moment ago. “He went out to find you that first day and saved you without a second thought. He’s a protector, and so are you, and that’s the connection you two had. Though now maybe it’s growing into something more.”

“I don’t know…” Leo sighed. “I feel like… I don’t want him to just be…”

“Trust me Leo,” Elisa lay her hand on the turtle’s shoulder again. “Brooklyn isn’t your rebound.”

“Are you _totally positive_ you aren’t a psychic?” Leo asked, a skeptical look on his face. 

“No, I’m not.” Elisa said with a chuckle. “You’re just easy for me to read.”

“So you don’t actually _fly_?” Mikey asked, circling Brooklyn like a vulture to look at the gargoyle’s wings.

“Not in the sense you’re implying.” Brooklyn chuckled. “I glide on currents of wind. My wings would need feathers and more bone structure if I were to be able to actually fly like a bird.” He explained.

“Are you Donnie reincarnated?” The orange clad turtle asked, looking from Brooklyn to his lover.

“Mikey, I’m not dead.” Donnie laughed from his position on the couch.

“What’s that got to do with it?”

“I would have to die to be reincarnated.” Donnie watched the wheels turn in Mikey’s head.

“What books have I been reading?” Mikey wondered out loud, rubbing his head.

“Let me guess,” Brooklyn directed his statement to Donnie. “He has a high intellect but he’s too busy _inhaling_ comic books and movies to put it to any use?”

Donnie laughed as Mikey pouted at Brooklyn. “I don’t think I could have said it better!”

“One of my rookery brothers is the same way, accept his weaknesses are food and old westerns instead of pop-culture.”

“Why does everyone always make fun of me?!” Mikey whined, swinging his arms around his body in protest.

“Because,” Donnie started, reaching up and pulling Mikey down into his lap by the back of the jokester’s obi, earning an indignant squeak. “You make it too easy to.”

“Donnie, I could have just _died_.” Mikey stated, dramatically tossing his head back with his arm over his forehead.

“Death by couch, I’d pay to see that.”

Leo watched with affection in his eyes as his brothers interacted with Brooklyn. The only one in the room who seemed to be having problems adjusting was Raph, who was currently sitting on the window sill, looking out into the night. Leo let out a heavy sigh, but made no move to speak to his brother. He didn’t want to start another fight with Raph and quite frankly, he didn’t even really want to talk to the hot-head for a while. He knew he would have to from a leader’s standpoint, but he didn’t have to interact with Raph in any other way. At least, not for a while.

“So, do you like, _immediately_ turn to stone when the sun comes up, like a vampire?” Mikey wondered, curling up in Donnie’s lap.

“I don’t think vampires turn to stone…” Donnie stated. Mikey stuck out his tongue earning a chuckle.

“Almost immediately.” Brooklyn responded, sitting in the recliner to the left of the couch. “You’ll see in a few hours.”

“If you want him to stop talking, just tell him to.” Leo chuckled, walking over to the seat of the couch between where Donnie and Mikey sat and Brooklyn.

“I don’t mind.” Brooklyn said, smiling, his tail swishing around the legs of the coffee table.

“You might regret saying that.” Leo smirked.

Brooklyn snorted. “I grew up with a brother who was twelve years younger than me and a sister who was twenty years younger than me. I’m no stranger to questions.”

“Those are big age gaps…” Donnie marveled.

“Now you’ll _really_ regret it. You’ve captured Donnie’s scientific mind.” Leo chuckled as Donnie shoved at his shoulder.

“Gargoyle heat cycles are unpredictable. I knew a mated pair who had two eggs nine months apart, and another pair that had two eggs forty years apart.”

“Eggs? I realize you have some reptilian heritage, but I didn’t expect you to come from eggs…” Donnie’s eyes sparkled at all the new information he was gathering.

“Just to for warn you, he has no filter when it comes to scientific questions, and with the path this is taking, prepare yourself.” Leo’s voice took on a serious tone as Brooklyn quirked a brow, trying to make sure that the gargoyle was truly okay with this.

“Really, Leo,” Brooklyn laughed, leaning forward and wrapping his tail around Leo’s ankle. “It’s fine. It’s actually kind of nice to talk about this kind of stuff again.”

Dawn was quickly approaching as Donnie continued to bombard Brooklyn with questions. The genius learned that female gargoyles carried their eggs for nine months, just like humans, but once the eggs were lay, it took two more months for them to hatch. He learned about gargoyle parenting, and how it had changed. Female gargoyles who chose to raise their children often breast-fed them until they were two, which was absolutely fascinating to Donnie. Even Leo had to admit that that was interesting.

Donnie also learned about gargoyle genetics and customs. Brooklyn winked at Leo when he explained gargoyle hair to Donnie, and Leo couldn’t help but blush. 

By the time the sky was beginning to tint pink, Mikey had started playing on his phone, Donnie’s scientific brain was practically climaxing with all the amazing information it had been given, and Brooklyn’s tail had curled up Leo’s leg farther under the leg of his pants, and Leo had no intentions of stopping it.

“Brooklyn, remember you have to clean up the mess if you turn to stone in here…” Elisa called from the kitchen table, her book held out before here and a half finished cup of tea still steaming next to her.

“I know, I’m moving.” Brooklyn laughed. Leo almost whined at the loss of Brooklyn’s tail, and Brooklyn couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach when he noticed Leo’s slight disappointment creep onto his features.

“The rest of you are welcome to stay here.” Elisa continued as Brooklyn stretched his arms and wings, an unconscious, thick whine emanating from his throat that sent a chill up Leo’s spine. “Leo’s already claimed the guest room, but I have an air mattress and the couch for the three of you if you’d like to stay.”

“We call the air mattress!” Mikey shouted, shooting up from his prone position over Donnie’s legs to wrap his arms around the genius’ neck. Donnie teetered in place, placing a hand on Leo’s thigh to keep himself from falling over into the leader’s lap, making Leo chuckle.

“Yeah, of course ya do…” Raph grumbled, letting his legs hang over the window sill as he turned to face the group. “The couch is just fine. Thanks Elisa.”

“Of course.” Elisa shrugged, exchanging a glance with Leo at Raph’s gruff approach.

“I wanna watch Brooklyn turn to stone!” Mikey was acting like a small child after he opened his presents on Christmas, and he just had to play with them all before he went to bed.

“It’s not that exciting.” Brooklyn chucked, but didn’t tell Mikey he couldn’t.

“Watching him wake up is better.” Elisa stated shooting a wink at Mikey. Mikey’s eyes glimmered.

“Wow, he might actually get up _before_ night fall.” Donnie marveled.

“Hey, I’ve got something to look forward to!” Donnie laughed, kissing Mikey’s cheek, and Brooklyn knew then that his suspicions were validated. He smiled, enjoying the closeness this family seemed to share before he slipped back out through the window, spreading his wings and crouching on the edge of the landing as the sun rose. Mikey uttered a ‘cool’ from his throat as Elisa tossed a deflated air mattress onto the living room floor.

A few minutes later, and Donnie and Mikey were snuggled together on the air mattress under the covers Elisa had provided and Raph was sprawled over the couch, already snoring.

“You’ve got a nice family here, Leo.” Elisa whispered as Leo came back out of the guest room having changed back into the tank top and sweats from the previous night.

“Yeah, I know.” Leo agreed, smiling down at his brothers.

“Get some rest. I have a feeling we’re going to need it.” Leo nodded, smiling at Elisa before the human turned to enter her own bedroom.

Leo stood for a moment, watching over his brothers before he too turned to head to bed. He was unaware of the pair of golden eyes watching him move away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of explained some of the gargoyle customs in the middle when Brooklyn and Donnie are talking in my own way and how I see them. Some of that is cannon, but I don't think it all is, that's just the way I see things. :3
> 
> Also, Elisa seems to read Leo's mind a lot...


	27. Stronger

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,424  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: mild language; sexual innuendos  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo; Donnie/Mikey; past Raph/Leo

 

Leo rolled his neck as he stood next to the bed. He was falling deeper and deeper into this mess with Brooklyn and he wasn’t sure how to get out of it. He also wasn’t sure if he _wanted_ to get out of it. His head was spinning so fast, but he heard the door to the room he was in creak open. He spun around, tossing a left uppercut that Raph was just barely able to block.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to punch me again?” Raph tried for a joke as Leo glared at him.

“What do you want Raph? I want to go to bed.” Leo stated, irritation plane in his voice. “Not to mention, a few hours ago you were pouting on the window sill, looking forlornly out into the night.”

“I was thinkin’ about stuff.” Raph explained, stepping closer to Leo. Leo frowned, backing up until the backs of his knees hit the bed. “About everythin’ that’s happened.”

“Raph, where is this going?” Leo asked, his heart thudding in his chest as Raph got closer.

Raph reached out and took Leo’s hand. “I think you know.” Leo didn’t have time to react as Raph leaned forward and pressed his lips to Leo’s.

Leo reacted instantly, and in the opposite way he _ever_ would have thought he would have reacted in the last six months; he shoved Raph back, earning a confused look from his brother.

“No…” Leo stated, the word getting caught in his throat. “No.” He said again, more forcefully.

“What?” Raph questioned, stepping forward again. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

“Raph,” Leo’s voice caught in his chest. He could do this. He could resist. “This is _over_. It has been for six months.”

“Yeah but… Maybe I made the wrong choice?” Raph’s voice was husky as he tried to move in again.

“Stop it!” Leo’s tone was harsh as he firmly pushed Raph back. “Enough!”

“I thought this was what you wanted!” Raph growled, arms out at his sides.

“Yeah…” Leo sighed. “It _was_. But you have Colton, Raph, and I…” Leo trailed off, unsure if he should finish his sentence.

“I see the way you look at Brooklyn, Leo.” Raph growled.

“Wait… Are you… _jealous_?!” Leo asked, dumbfounded.

“You’ve known him for a few days Leo! You don’t even really know him!”

“Keep your voice down!” Leo hissed. “Elisa’s room is right next door and I don’t want to disturb her!”

Raph worked his jaw as he looked at Leo. “I’m not sure I have Colton anymore…”

“Raph stop.” Leo scolded. “You’re just pissed at him right now. That won’t last.”

“How the hell do you know?”

“Because I know you.”

The pair stood in silence for a while, each unsure of what to say next.

“You really don’t want me anymore?” Raph asked, his goal still apparent in his eyes, and Leo refused to fall into the trap.

“You know the answer to that. But I don’t want _this_.” Leo gestured to the situation. “You’re just looking for validation, and I’m not who you can get that from.” Raph frowned. “You’ll just hurt me again.”

Raph’s face softened at the admission. Leo stood his ground, watching the calculation in Raph’s eyes. If the hot-head made another move, Leo wasn’t sure he’d be able to resist this time.

Without another word, Raph turned and left the room, closing the door behind himself. Leo let out a shaky sigh, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He brought a shaky hand up to his forehead and tried to hold back the tears. Six months, and he had just refused the thing he had wanted to get back in all that time. He was getting stronger. He was learning to let go.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

As tired as he had been, sleep did not come easily for Leo that night. He could feel a small seed of regret starting to sprout for refusing Raph. But the logical part of him knew it was the best thing to do, not only for he and Raph, but for Colton too. Even if Leo didn’t like everything about the human, he was still the biggest source of happiness in Raph’s life. Every time Raph looked at the human, his eyes shown. Leo had never seen the hot-head happier. The blue clad turtle tossed and turned for upwards of three hours, wrestling with his thoughts before he finally fell asleep.

 

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Cracks spread across the layer of stone covering Brooklyn’s body as the sun set behind the skyscrapers of New York. The first pieces to fall away uncovered glowing eyes as a growl emanated from the once stone figure. Muscles flexed and pulled, the cracks between the pieces of stone growing larger and new cracks formed as Brooklyn began moving. Mikey watched in awe from his perch at the end of the air mattress as Brooklyn let out a roar, stone flying into the window and falling down to the street below as his wings snapped open.

Donnie chuckled sleepily, his head cradled on his arm as Mikey watched Brooklyn awaken. He had to admit that it was a rather incredible sight. He wanted nothing more than to study the gargoyles’ DNA to figure out why they turned to stone when the sun rose, but for now, he was willing to just marvel.

As Brooklyn shook the last shards of stone from his hair, he turned to climb back through the window of Elisa’s apartment, and couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Mikey’s blue eyes blown wide with amazement.

“Are we sure it isn’t Christmas yet?” The gargoyle smirked as he entered the human’s home. “Because he looks like he’s watching the Christmas tree.

Donnie chuckled again, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Anything new for him is the same as Christmas morning.” He stated affectionately, planting a kiss on his mate’s temple.

“Yeah, that was _hella_ rad.” Mikey exclaimed. “You do that every morning?!”

Brooklyn chuckled as Raph groaned, tossing a pillow at Mikey’s head and hitting him square in the face. “Pipe down, asshole. I’m sleeping.” The hot-head huffed, turning over to face the back of the couch.

“Someone’s grumpy… Way to spoil the moment, Raphie…” Mikey whined, crossing his arms in a pout.

“I told you it was cool.” Elisa mumbled as he emerged from her room, her hair frazzled around her face as she too rubbed her eyes.

“Good morning, sunshine.” Brooklyn grinned, earning a middle finger making him laugh. “No one speaks to me until I’ve had some coffee. Anyone else want some?” Brooklyn and Donnie nodded, Raph snored and Mikey gagged. “Would Leo want any?”

“No, he’s smart and doesn’t drink gross things.” Mikey stated, earning another pillow to the face from Donnie.

“Speaking of Leo, where is he? He was awake long before me last night?” Brooklyn asked, frowning in the direction of the guest room.

“I don’t think he slept well last night. I heard him tossing and turning until I fell asleep. I don’t know how long until he actually fell asleep.” Elisa explained, shuffling around the kitchen. “Now cease all conversation in my direction until coffee is present…” Brooklyn smiled, turning to look at Raph who he just now noticed had sat up. The turtle was looking towards the guest room door, chewing on him bottom lip. Brooklyn quirked a brow, trying to read the expression on Raph’s face. Was that worry, or guilt? Or both? Brooklyn couldn’t tell, but he wasn’t sure he liked the look being directed at Leo’s room right after Elisa’s statement.

“Everything okay Raph?” Brooklyn asked, cocking his head.

Raph turned his golden eyes to the gargoyle, his features immediately hardening. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He hissed, turning away once more. Brooklyn frowned, his tail twitching behind himself in irritation, even as he decided to let it go.

Seeming to have sensed the conversation, Leo emerged from the guest room, stretching his arms above his head.

“That’s a first, I’m up before Leo!” Mikey laughed, falling back on the bed to look at his eldest brother.

“You’ve been up before me other times.” Leo corrected, crossing his arms.

“Not after having slept. That’s always been when I had an all-night videogame run.”

“Because that’s healthy…” Leo chuckled before looking up and catching Brooklynn frowning in Raph’s direction. Raph didn’t seem to notice, and refused to acknowledge Leo. Leo sighed, rolling his eyes and catching Brooklyn’s attention. The gargoyle turned to him with a concerned frown. Leo simply shook his head, not wanting to get into details, even though he knew Brooklyn was putting the pieces together. Brooklyn nodded, dropping the subject and Leo was grateful. Brooklyn was far more understanding than Raph.

“I’ve had some coffee; you may now speak.” Elisa stated, walking over to the living room and handing Donnie and Brooklyn each a mug of coffee. “I wasn’t sure how you liked it Donnie, so I didn’t put anything in it.”

“That’s fine. I-”

“He likes it the most disgusting of all; black…” Mikey interrupted, throwing a disgusted look at the offensive mug.

“Fine, no kiss for you then.” Donnie grumbled, taking a sip of the hot liquid.

“No~! Don-Don~!” Donnie snorted as Mikey stretched himself across Donnie’s lap.

“You guys need a room, or…?” Mikey pouted at Elisa’s comment, earning a chuckle from the human.

“Mikey’s just dramatic.” Raph huffed, stretching from his position on the couch. “He certainly ain’t easy to live with.”

“Someone’s grumpy this morning.” Mikey frowned. “The hell’s up with you?”

Raph glanced at Leo from the corner of his eyes. Leo simply crossed his arms, quirking a brow and daring Raph to say something.

“Nothing’s wrong…” Raph mumbled, sitting back against the couch. Leo rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he turned back to his room to go get dressed.

“Anyway… Who wants food?” Elisa asked, trying to ease the tension in the room.

“Me!” Mikey shouted, shooting up into a sitting position. Donnie gasped, following Mikey’s movements, his arms trapped around Mikey’s neck as he tried to keep his coffee from spilling. “Awe, you do love me.” Mikey smirked, looking back over his shoulder at Donnie.

“You’re lucky this didn’t spill all over you.” Brooklyn laughed at the interaction, drinking his own coffee as Donnie untangled himself from Mikey.

“At this rate you might have to get a bigger fridge.” Brooklyn joked, earning a laugh from Elisa.

“If _Broadway_ hasn’t forced me to get yet _another_ larger fridge, I doubt anyone else could.”

“You haven’t seen Mikey eat…” Donnie warned, taking another drink of his coffee.

“And you haven’t seen Broadway eat.” 

“I’ll have to fight him…” Mikey stated, holding his fist out in defiance.

“Are you sure you got enough sleep last night?” Donnie asked, watching Mikey’s display.

“There can be only one champion eater, Don. Only one.”

“Does champion eater include eating so much candy on Halloween that you puke all over yourself?” Leo asked as he walked back out from the guest room, smirking. Brooklyn snorted, leaning over to try and keep the mouthful of coffee he had from spilling out of his beak.

“That was one time, Leo!” Mikey whined.

“More like one time every year.” Mikey pouted again, frowning at his eldest brother.

“The _savagery_ in the room, my God.” Elisa marveled, looking to Brooklyn. “They’re almost as bad as you.”

“Well, I learn from the best.” Brooklyn smirked.

Elisa looked up, nodding her head to the side and pursing her lips in agreeance. “Yeah, I’ll concede to that.”

Leo smiled, looking out to the living room. Besides Raph, everyone seemed to be getting along well. To Leo, that was good, because during the night, he thought he had come to a conclusion about Brooklyn. He had a feeling they were going to be seeing at least Brooklyn a lot more after all was said and done.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“I should go on a gameshow for largest meals created.” Elisa chuckled, setting plates full of food down on the kitchen table. Mikey scrambled for a seat, making Donnie laugh when he almost tripped over the step up from the living room.

“So this is your family?” Brooklyn asked Leo as they watched Mikey begin to devour his meal.

“Yeah…” Leo responded, smiling as Donnie and Raph made their way to the table too.

“They’re nice.” Brooklyn smiled, looking to Leo and seeing the affection on his face.

Leo blushed lightly. “I’m glad you like them…” He stated, looking to Brooklyn as well.  
Brooklyn bit his lip, opening his mouth to say something, but couldn’t find the words to speak for a moment. “Look Leo, I-”

“Dudes, you gotta come try this food! It’s amazing!” Mikey exclaimed, looking to Leo and Brooklyn. The two quickly looked to the young turtle, jumping from the exclamation. Elisa watched the two shift uncomfortably for a moment, thinking Mikey had seen something, but soon relaxed when they realized he had gone straight back to his food. The moment was broken however, and Leo and Brooklyn moved to sit down at the table.

The group sat in a comfortable silence, eating their food and mulling over in their minds the upcoming battle ahead of them. Leo smiled when he felt Brooklyn’s tail wrap around his ankle again. Unconsciously, Leo moved his leg closer, making Brooklyn smile. Their hands were close again. Brooklyn could grab Leo’s… He wanted to… Brooklyn’s fingers twitched against the table as he started to move his hand closer to Leo’s.

Suddenly, Elisa’s phone rang, making the group jump. Brooklyn inwardly growled when Leo’s hand moved away when he jumped. Another moment killed.

“Hello?” Elisa answered, leaning against the counter. “Really?” Her eyes shot up to the group. “The Pack was just spotted moving down by the railways.”

“Sounds like a set up.” Brooklyn stated, giving Elisa a skeptical look.

“Matt says they have units dispatched to the area. It might not be a bad idea to go down there and make sure everything is copasetic.”

“It’s as good a place as any to start.” Leo shrugged. “We stick to the rooftops, stay out of sight as best we can and if there’s an opportunity to take Hyena, then we do.”

“But my food…” Mikey whined, looking down at his plate with sadness in his eyes.

“I’ll save it for you.” Elisa suggested.

Mikey sighed dramatically, pushing back from the table. “Okay, fine.”

Leo chuckled, standing up from the table. “Let’s go.”


	28. Doin' Somethin'

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,997  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; blood; gore; violence  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo; Donnie/Mikey; referenced Colton/Raph

 

The weather was getting colder and colder on the streets of New York. Shivers ran down Brooklyn’s back as he followed the four figures below him traveling along the rooftops. Those turtles certainly were stealthy, and fast on their feet. If Brooklyn hadn’t known they were there, he may have not been able to see them.

Leo led the group, following Elisa’s directions to the tracks where Matt and the rest of the police were standing off against The Pack. As of now, oddly, The Pack hadn’t made a move. From what he could tell from Elisa’s messages, The Pack hadn’t done anything but stand around, seemingly waiting. That concerned the leader. That meant they could know he, his brothers and Brooklyn were on the way, and he did _not_ like that idea at all. He didn’t want to get caught by surprise again, but this could be their best chance at capturing Hyena. It was a calculated risk they had no choice but to take.

Rounding the last set of rooftops, the group arrived at the railway where The Pack were. In fact, they were not just standing there, but they were playing poker.

“Wait... What?” Mikey asked as he came up to flank Leo. “Are they playing poker? That’s cockier than Raph...”

“Watch it, Mikey.” Raph growled, glaring at his baby brother.

“That’s what they were doing when we fought them in the train station.” Brooklyn explained, more to Leo than anyone else. “They’re killing time.”

“Killing time for what?” Leo asked, looking over the roof’s edge at the group.

“I wish I could tell you...” Brooklyn lamented, tail twitching in agitation.

“That’s what I was afraid of.” The sigh that escaped Leo’s lips had an edge of defeat to it. Brooklyn was worried too. Up until a few nights ago, he would have never _dreamed_ that they would have to be so careful around The Pack. Now that they were teaming up with Bishop, Brooklyn was becoming more and more concerned about what they could do.

“ _Okay, how long are we going to drag this night out?_ ” Matt’s voice boomed over a loud speaker.

Hyena looked up with a smug smirk. “We’re just waiting until our boss gets here.” She stated, Wolf grumbling his grievances about even _having_ a boss under his breath.

“Oh no...” Leo breathed, his eyes wide.

“ _Last I heard you didn’t answer to anyone._ ” Matt retorted, an edge of sass in his tone.

“You heard wrong.” Jackal even seemed a little bitter about following Bishop. Maybe Hyena was getting the better end of the deal?

“I don’t like this.” Leo stated. “If Bishop is coming to join them, we need to get Matt and his men out of there, _now_!”

“How many times are we gonna say we don’t like somethin’ before we actually do somethin’ about it?!” Raph growled, shoving his way over to Leo.

“Have you forgotten every other time we’ve tangled with Bishop in the past?” Leo asked, frowning at Raph. “Going in there half-cocked and angry isn’t going to do anything but get one or all of us killed, or worse!”

“Then come up with a plan so we can nab Hyena and get this over with!”

“The likely hood of Hyena having a tracker placed in her systems is a high risk.” Raph growled when Donnie began to speak. “If we were to take her now, we would be running with her for a long time before I could get a block set up or, even better, turn the tracker off.”

“And ya didn’t think a this _before_ , Brainiac?!” Donnie stood his ground when Raph turned on him. “Ain’t ya supposed ta think a this stuff?!”

“I fail to see how my apparent ‘unpreparedness’ is making this situation so horrible for you, Raph.” Donnie frowned, crossing his arms. “For once can you not take your frustration out on the rest of us?”

Raph growled deep in his throat, his muscles tensing as his rage bubbled. “Why is everything I do suddenly under scrutiny?!” Raph was yelling now, tossing his arms out.

“You know perfectly well why.” Donnie remained cool and unmoving as he knew Raph was trying to bully him out of his stance.

“Raph, keep your voice down!” Leo hissed, smacking Raph upside the head. “You’re going to give our position away!”

“It’s moments like this that you learn to stand back and avoid the crossfire.” Mikey whispered, leaning close to Brooklyn so only the gargoyle could hear.

“Are your guys’ missions always this volatile?” Brooklyn asked, grimacing.

“As of late?” Mikey sighed, looking over to his brothers. “Unfortunately yes.”

Brooklyn hummed, watching with a furrowed brow as Leo tried to get Raph to calm down.

“Look Raph, you’re angry with Colton and frustrated with me, I get that.” Leo tried to keep his voice as calm as he could while watching to make sure Raph didn’t try to punch him. “But this is _not_ the time to let those emotions control you! You could wind up dead!”

“Stop treatin’ me like a fuckin’ child Leo!” Raph hissed. “This has nothing to do with any of that!”

“I don’t believe you.” Leo sighed, stepping back. “Please, just don’t do anything stupid and get yourself or anyone else hurt.”

“ _This game is growing old._ ” Matt’s voice was becoming irritated. It was obvious he was going to give an order to his men soon that most likely wouldn’t end well for anyone. “ _Now how about you drop the cards, and surrender nice and polite, and no one has to get hurt._ ”

“Matt’s gonna get himself killed.” Brooklyn hissed, moving over to the edge of the roof.  
“You’d better watch your tone, mister.” Jackal growled, standing up and taking a few steps towards the red-headed detective. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

Yanking his radio out of his belt, Brooklyn quickly tuned into the frequency Elisa had given him to talk to Matt with. “Knock it off, Bluestone! You don’t want to mess with these guys right now!” Brooklyn could feel the panic edging in his veins, but he pushed it back, watching as Matt pulled out his own radio.

“ _What are you talking about, Brooklyn?_ ” Matt laughed back. “ _This is_ The Pack _we’re talking about here!_ ”

“Yes, but remember the man Bishop?! He’s the boss they’re talking about!” Silence fell over the radio, and Matt turned to look at Brooklyn from his position. “You need to get yourself and your men out of there now! Let us take care of this!”

“ _You’re telling us to pull out?!_ ” Incredulity shown on Matt’s face, even with as far away as he was.

Stepping over to the gargoyle, Leo held out his hand for the radio, and Brooklyn handed it to him without question. “Matt, this is Leo. You need to get out of there. Bishop’s men are no match for yours. You stay there, it could end up becoming a blood bath, all coming from your side!”

“ _What makes you think-_ ” But Matt’s question was cut short when a large, black van pulled up behind The Pack. Leo gulped, watching with trepidation as Bishop stepped out of the van.  
“Good evening, officers. What seems to be the problem?” Bishop’s sickly-sweet tone spilled from his lips with no sincerity, and every amount of his condescending demeanor shining through.

“Don’t do anything stupid...” Brooklyn mumbled, biting his lip as the group watched, crouched low behind the edge of the roof. Leo’s breath deepened, his hand unconsciously reaching out for comfort. Brooklyn squeezed Leo’s hand reassuringly, just as anxious himself.  
Matt cleared his throat, deciding to try and use his illuminati pin to reach some civil agreement. “Sir, do you know these three?” The red-head asked, gesturing to The Pack and stepping closer to Bishop.

Bishop’s eyes wandered Matt’s frame for any clue as to his angle behind his dark glasses when the gold glint of a pin caught his eye. A smirk ran across Bishop’s lips when he recognized the symbol. “Why, yes, I do know these three.” Bishop responded, showing the gold ring on his finger.

“They’re blocking the railway, and if they don’t move soon, I’ll have to arrest them.” A cold sweat dripped down the back of Matt’s neck at the unwavering gaze scrutinizing his every movement and syllable her uttered.

Bishop huffed, waving his hand behind himself to signal The Pack to leave.

“You’re gonna cave to this piece of-” One steely look over his shoulder from Bishop, and Hyena clamped her mouth shut, though she was no less angry. Nodding her head, she turned to leave, followed shortly after by Wolf and Jackal.

“I apologize for the inconvenience.” Bishop stated, no remorse in his tone at all, but at this point, Matt just wanted him gone.

“Thank you for taking care of it.” Matt watched as Bishop moved back to the van before stopping just in front of the doors. “Is there something more?”

“As a matter of fact,” Faster than anyone could react, Bishop pulled a gun, turning his waist to aim at Matt. “There is.” He finished before firing. Matt moved fast enough to save his life, but not his shoulder. The bullet tore through the outer flesh of his shoulder before flying back and tearing through the head of the officer behind him. The rest of the squad were quick to act, pulling their own weapons and firing as a unit at Bishop and the van.

Seeming to have been caught off guard by the speed of the squad, Bishop found his own shoulder under the scrutiny of a bullet. He howled in rage, slamming the van doors behind himself as the driver took off in the opposite direction The Pack had.

“Son of a bitch!” Leo shouted, watching as the van disappeared before turning his gaze back to the police. Matt was holding his shoulder, blood gushing from the wound, but he seemed to be okay otherwise. The officer behind him, however, clearly wouldn’t make it, even as his companions tried to help him.

“Raph, where are you going?!” Leo heard Mikey shout. The leader jerked his head around to see Raph running off in the direction The Pack had gone, Sai drawn.

“Raph, get back here!” Leo shouted, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. “Brooklyn, make sure Matt’s okay, then follow us! Mikey and Don, follow Raph and try to keep him from getting himself or anyone else killed! I’ll come behind and make sure no one corners us! Go!” Everyone moved quickly, doing as Leo said, Brooklyn letting Leo’s hand go, even as much as both of them didn’t want to let go. 

Turning and jumping onto the edge of the roof, Brooklyn glided down to where Matt was leaning heavily against his squad car.

“Are you okay?!” He asked, wind blowing around the area and picking up dust as he moved to look at Matt’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Matt growled, looking down at his bloodied hand before replacing it over his wound. “Just please tell me we’re going to get the assholes!”

“We’re working on it…” Brooklyn mumbled, turning to watch Leo disappear over the last roof he could see. “Though one on our team is liable to fuck everything up.”

Matt rose a brow at Brooklyn’s harsh tone. “Are you sure _you’re_ okay?”

Brooklyn turned back to the human with a nod. “I will be once we have the upper hand at the very least.”

“Well get your ass moving. I’ll be fine.”

Brooklyn looked over to the squad member who had been shot in the head and felt anger bubbling in his gut. Bishop needed to pay. Growling deep in his chest, Brooklyn jumped onto the squad car, catching a heavy updraft that lifted him up into the air and over the rooftops.

 

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“Raph, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Leo shouted after his hot-headed brother once he, Donnie and Mikey had caught up.

“Doin’ somethin’ about it!” Raph shouted back, not even slowing his pace.

“You’re an idiot!” Leo was fuming. “How do you know they didn’t know we were there and are _hoping_ we follow them?!”

“Then they’re gonna get another surprise coming to them.” With that, Raph picked up his pace, catching sight of the three criminals ahead. Once he was over the top of The Pack, Raph jumped down, landing on Wolf’s shoulders.

“Fucking maniac!” Donnie and Mikey couldn’t help but exchange shocked glances at Leo’s choice of words. “If they don’t kill him I fucking will!” He continued as he blocked Jackal’s attack from slicing open Raph’s head.

“Hello again.” Jackal hissed, glaring at Leo as Donnie and Mikey jumped to block Hyena.

“Fuck off.” Leo responded, punching Jackal in the jaw before kicking him back into the wall of a corner store. “I’m not in the mood.”

Brooklyn hovered over the group, staying just out of sight and waiting to a good time to enter the fight. Matt was fine, pissed and adrenalin fueled, but he would survive. Raph, however, by the look on Leo’s face, might not be so lucky.

Catching Wolf off guard, Brooklyn swooped down, wrapping his tail around the mutate’s neck and throwing the large animal into a nearby wall. Wolf’s head made contact with the hard material with a sickening crack. His skull was definitely fractured and he dropped like a rock, eyes glazing over before he passed out.

Freeing his tail, Brooklyn landed in front of a stunned Raph. “You’re a liability with your emotions like this!” The gargoyle shouted, invading Raph’s space. “I told you to keep your head on straight!”

“Back off!” Raph growled, stepping away from Brooklyn’s piercing green eyes.

“Leave this fight to the rest of us.” Brooklyn hissed before turning to help Leo dispatch Jackal.

“You’re scary when you’re mad.” Leo chuckled, elbowing Jackal in the face as Brooklyn held the cyborg from escape. Brooklyn only smirked, dropping the unconscious man to the ground. “I like it.”

Brooklyn’s smirk only increased, his tail twitching as he followed Leo over to where Donnie and Mikey had restrained Hyena.

“You’re all going to regret this!” She growled, struggling against Mikey as Donnie worked to find any tracker.

“Yeah, we’re terrified.” Brooklyn huffed, crossing his arms. Hyena only glared up at him, still trying and failing to shake Mikey off.

Straightening, Donnie pulled a mobile tracker from Hyena’s neck, and a phone from a pouch on her leg. “She doesn’t seem to have anything else that would be an immediate threat, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to set up a block around her once we get her... Where exactly are we taking her?”

Turning a steely gaze to Raph, Leo responded. “I was going to figure that out later tonight with Elisa, but it seems that won’t be happening.”

“We got her, didn’t we!” Raph tried to defend his actions as Leo pulled out his shell-cell and dialed for Elisa. Leo only glared at Raph holding the device to his ear as it rang. “We’d only be waiting even longer if we hadn’t acted!”

“Shut-it, Raph!”

“ _Whoa... Is everything okay?_ ” The human asked, worry in her voice at the harshness to Leo’s tone.

“Yes and no. Long and irritating story short, we have Hyena, but we have no idea where to take her.”

“ _Oh God, okay._ ” Leo could hear Elisa shuffling around before she said anything else. “ _There’s an old lab that a scientist named Anton Sevarius used to use. It has a cell we can keep her in and it’s far enough underground it would be hard to find if you didn’t know where it was._ ”

“Impressive. Where is it?”

“ _Brooklyn can take you there. I’ll meet you._ No arguments!”

“No! Elisa-” Leo sighed when the line died. “She hung up on me...”

“She’s coming to meet us, isn’t she?” Brooklyn groaned.

“Yup... She said you would know where some Anton Sevarius’ old lab is?”

Brooklyn nodded his head. “Yeah, I know where that is. Is that where we’re taking Hyena?”

“Yes and Elisa is going to meet us there.” Brooklyn and Leo shared a chuckle as Brooklyn turned back to Hyena.

“We can’t have you mapping where we take you.” Brooklyn stated, before reaching behind Hyena’s neck and grabbing hold of the nerves there. Hyena wasn’t able to say anything before Brooklyn knocked her out and she fell limp. Not expecting the sudden dead-weight, Mikey stumbled and dropped Hyena on her face.

“Nice, Mike.” Donnie chuckled, the group looking down at their captive with amusement.

“This is gonna be a long night...” Leo mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as Brooklyn lifted Hyena effortlessly onto his back. Brooklyn only smiled, prompting Leo to return the gesture.

“Mikey, turn on the tracker on your shell-cell.” Donnie stated, pulling his own shell-cell out.  
“Sure. Why?” The youngest turtle did as he was told, holding the proper button until the tracker lit up.

“I’m gonna run back to the lair and grab some equipment we need.” The genius explained, replacing his bow staff to his back.

“How long will that take?” Brooklyn asked, a little worried.

“Not long actually. We’re fairly close to where we live.” Donnie stated before removing the nearest manhole cover and dropping down into the sewer.

Shaking his head, Leo turned back to Raph who was standing awkwardly behind him. “Don’t think you’re out of the woods yet.” Leo’s features hardened as he stepped up to Raph. “We’ll talk once this is over.” Raph nodded, anger still bubbling in his gut as he watched Leo move back over to Brooklyn. “Lead the way.” Leo grinned, holding out his arm, making Brooklyn chuckle.

“Try to keep up.” The gargoyle joked, quickly scaling the nearest building and taking off in the direction of the old lab. Leo watched for a moment with a grin before following, Mikey and Raph close behind.


	29. The Hard Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah! I've had this one done for a while but I've had so much work piling up... -_- I finally had enough time to format this here and get it up for y'all. I have some tests this week and the next couple weeks are gonna be really busy. If I don't get another chapter up before the end of March, I'll be sure to treat you guys with two or three in a row. ;)

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 3,029  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; blood; gore; violence  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossoming Brooklyn/Leo; Donnie/Mikey; referenced Colton/Raph and past Raph/Leo

 

Cold, damp, and dreary. That was the best way to describe the old abandoned lab. It wasn’t a pleasant place to hang around in, but it certainly was the setting Leo’s mind thought of when interrogation was in the mix.

“Someone actually used to _work_ here?” Mikey’s groan echoed off the damp walls, bouncing back to him and making him jump and look around warily.

“Home sweet home.” Brooklyn muttered as he moved to set Hyena in the cell at the far side of the room. “Not to mention at one point Sevarius was held captive here by Goliath. I’m sure the mad scientist doesn’t hold this place in too bright of a light anymore...”

“Irony...”

Looking around, Leo drew some eerie similarities between here and Baxter Stockman’s original lab. He felt a chill run down his spine, remembering how easily their home was torn away by the madman’s mouser robots.

“Leo, are you okay?” Brooklyn’s hand on Leo’s shoulder made the turtle jump lightly. He blinked up at the gargoyle for a moment, Brooklyn’s frown increasing the longer he took to respond.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Leo shook his head, righting himself. “Just drawing some eerie similarities between another lab I’ve been in.”

“So how long is this gonna take?” Raph grumbled from the corner of the room.

“Got a hot date, Raphie?” Mikey teased, earning a warning glare and a growl from Raph. “Jesus. A turtle gets yelled at once and he’s touchy, touchy.”

Leo rolled his eyes, turning his attention to Hyena, still unconscious in the cell. “I hope Don gets back before she wakes up. Who knows how fast she could send out a distress signal...”  
“If she hasn’t already.” Leo turned his frustrated gaze back to Raph.

“Oh, I’m sorry, who exactly got us into this mess in the _first place_?” Leo was done playing Raph’s games. If he were honest, he felt it would be better for Raph to go home until the hot-head figured things out with Colton. Brooklyn was right. He was a liability right now.

“How long would we have had to wait if I hadn’t acted?!” Raph snapped back, pushing off the wall to stomp over to Leo.

“How the hell would I know?! But you put us all at risk with that little move you pulled. What if Bishop had doubled back and found us?! What would we have done then?! Are you prepared to fight _Bishop_?!” Raph scoffed, shaking his head and turning away from Leo. “And now you’re walking away? Surprise, surprise.”

As the brothers were arguing, Elisa made her way to the doorway of the lab, stopping in her tracks when the shouting reached her ears.

“I’m not the one who ran away from my problems, Leo!” Raph practically screamed, storming back over to Leo and shoving him back into the table. The impact made Leo’s lower back spasm in pain, and he winced, reaching around to rub at the burning area. “I’m not the one who couldn’t handle a fucking break up!”

Silence fell over the room at Raph’s angry statement. Leo quirked a brow, defiance in his features. “And how else was I supposed to handle being cheated on?” Leo took pride in the slight look of shock on Raph’s face.

“Oh, don’t throw that in my face.” Raph hissed once he’d righted himself. “I’m not perfect.”  
“I’m pretty sure cheating doesn’t have anything to do with being perfect.” Leo frowned, cocking his head.

“Pretty sure you just choose not to have sex with someone else...” Brooklyn added, Raph’s glare turning to him.

“Pretty sure this isn’t your business!” Raph snapped, making the gargoyle frown.

“Raph, relax.” Leo scolded. “You kind of made it his business when you started this argument here.” Defeat shown through in Leo’s tone and stance.

Raph huffed, turning on his heel and storming out of the lab. Elisa stumbled as she tried to move out of the large turtle’s way, Raph’s shoulder bumping into hers. Raph muttered a gruff apology, continuing on out of sight.

“Sorry about that, Elisa.” Leo sighed. “Clearly he and I need to talk...”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Elisa smiled, stepping down into the lab. “I have two younger siblings, so I’m no stranger to temper tantrums.”

“I think calling this a temper tantrum is a little generous.” Leo tossed a raised brow at Mikey’s statement, but made no move to correct him. “I guess we’re just in a waiting game then for Donnie...” Mikey continued slumping against the wall. “And I didn’t get to bring any of my games...”

“You will survive waiting without your games, I promise you, Mikey.” Mikey groaned at Leo’s comment, sliding down to the floor and flopping over onto this side.

Brooklyn looked on with amusement for a moment before a sound down the corridor opposite the one Raph had gone down caught his attention. With trepidation, Brooklyn moved to the entrance, holding out his arm to keep Elisa behind him as the police woman drew her gun.

“Sure picked a hell of a place to settle down...” Matt grimaced as he came around the corner, his trench coat stained with blood and no apparent bandages.

“Jesus Matt...” Elisa sighed, putting her gun away and frowning at her partner. “I almost shot you. And why the hell haven’t you been bandaged?!”

“I left before they could bandage me.” Matt shrugged.

“Why?!” Brooklyn and Elisa shouted.

“Because I wanted to make sure everything went okay on your end.” Elisa let out an aggravated groan, tossing her head back before stomping over to her partner and pulling him by his good arm over to the table Leo was leaning against. “You’re an idiot.” She muttered, instructing Matt to take off his jacket so she could see the wound.

Moving out of Elisa’s way, Leo moved over to where Brooklyn was standing.

“You okay?” Brooklyn asked, concerned after what Raph had said that Leo was hiding how badly he had been hurt.

Leo sighed. “Not really.” He admitted, the two sliding down the wall to the floor on the far side of the lab to avoid being heard. “I suppose you’ve figured out the issue...”

“I think I have, yeah.” Brooklyn watched Leo look down at his hands, the leather of this gloves groaning softly as his thumbs wrestled each other. “It doesn’t bother me, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Leo looked up, swallowing thickly as he watched for any look of disgust from the gargoyle. “To tell you the truth, my um...” Brooklyn sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. “I had a mate back in Scotland.” Leo’s brows shot up, surprised. He never would have guessed... “We didn’t find out until later, but we were most likely cousins on my father’s side. Plus, one of my other friend’s mate was his biological and not just rookery sister. So it doesn’t bother me that you had a relationship with Raph. Really, Leo.” Reaching out, Brooklyn lay his hand over Leo’s, stopping the turtle’s thumbs from wrestling.

“What was her name? Or him... Not meaning to make assumptions.”

Brooklyn laughed. “She was female. Back then, Goliath was the only one of us who had a name.”

Leo frowned. “Why?”

“You know,” Brooklyn chuckled. “I’m not really sure... I guess from the beginning gargoyles thought of names as a human trait?” Brooklyn shrugged, laughing again.

Leo nodded. “I suppose it is... But that would be weird. I mean, what did you call one another?”

“Call me a hopeless romantic but I usually just called her ‘Love’.”

“No, that’s...” Leo smiled, looking down again. “That’s nice.”

“Leo,” Brooklyn’s heart thudded in his chest when Leo looked up at him. “We just met a few days ago but... I know it’s a little rushed, but I-”

“Okay, I think I have everything we’re going to need to keep Hyena and our location a secret.” Brooklyn growled as Donnie walked into the lab, toting a large duffle bag over his shoulder. Leo smiled sympathetically.

“After this is all over let’s meet on the roof of the alley way where we first met. We can talk there and no one will interrupt us.” Leo stated, winking before he got up. Brooklyn nodded, following Leo over to stand next to Donnie.

“I’m going to set up a transmission blocker to keep Hyena from sending out any transmissions, receiving any, and it will also keep any trackers inside her system from transmitting out.”

“So no one will be able to find us, no matter what they try?” Matt asked, wincing as Elisa continued to examine his wound.

“Exactly.” Donnie nodded, pulling out his equipment. “I also grabbed what we’ll need to tap into Hyena’s memory. At the very least we’ll know where she’s been and, most likely, where Bishop is holing up.”

“That’s impressive...” Brooklyn marveled, crossing his arms.

Donnie grinned with pride. “Mikey, come give me a hand with this.” The group frowned when no answer was received. They turned to see that Mikey had fallen asleep, a small line of drool dribbling down his arm and onto the ground. “I swear he can sleep wherever, and whenever he wants...” The jealousy in Donnie’s tone made Leo chuckle. It was then that Donnie realized the missing member. 

“Hey, where’s Raph?” He asked, turning to Leo.

“Long story, Don...” Leo sighed.

Donnie frowned. “The hell did he do?”

“Look, can we just get this perimeter set up? I don’t want her waking up before it’s set.” Donnie nodded, posing no further argument, but scrutinizing Leo’s every move as the leader went to go wake up Mikey.

“THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE FROGS, THEY’RE JUST SCREAMING!” Mikey shouted, bolting upright when Leo shook his shoulder.

Leo blinked at his brother with confusion and concern. “...What?”

“He’s started screaming out what he was dreaming if someone wakes him up.” Donnie explained, never turning around from his work. “I still have yet to figure out why...”

“Screaming frogs?” Brooklyn asked. “What kind of dreams do you have?”

“He once screamed about taquitos taking over taco land and the salsa of redemption raining down from the heavens.”

“The tacos needed help, and the Burrito gods gave it to them!” Mikey defended, wiping off the drool from his mouth.

“He doesn’t get spicy food before bed anymore.” Donnie chuckled.

“Seems like a good idea...”

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“No, I’m not doing that here!” Matt whined, giving Elisa a defiant look.

“Matt, I need to stitch your wound! For that you need to take your shirt off!” Elisa had crossed her arms, quirking a brow and glaring at her partner. “I’m the only female here, who’s awake, and I’ve seen you without a shirt before, or do you not remember when I came in to the locker room when I needed to talk to my brother?”

Matt groaned, tossing his head back. “No I remember, and we’re all still grumpy about that.”

“Grumpy?” Elisa scoffed. “Of all the words… Shirt, Matt, now.” Groaning again, Matt worked to remove his shirt, wincing when the fabric of his sleeve caught on the wound. Blood was still seeping from the wound, the sleeve of his shirt soaked down to his elbow.

“So-o, does anyone need either of our help, or are we just taking up space?” Brooklyn asked, referring to Leo and himself.

“Actually, it might not be a bad idea to tie Hyena up. I’ve got the signal blocker set up, but I’m trying to electrify these bars to be sure to keep her locked up, and I don’t think it would be advisable for her to be mobile if she wakes up and I haven’t finished.” Donnie never looked up from his work, always able to multitask with at least two things at once over years of working around his brothers.

Brooklyn hummed, he and Leo looking around to see if they could find a chair and something to use as binding.

“Elisa, do you know if any of these pipes are still receiving water or gas?” Brooklyn asked, running his hands along the pipes on the wall as he looked to the female.

“I would doubt it.” Elisa answered, also not looking up from her work on Matt’s arm. They had managed to find left over medical supplies that were still sealed and clean in the old cabinets. Unfortunately, there was no anesthetic, so Matt was having to deal with stitches without any numbness since he decided to skip out on a hospital trip. He wasn’t liking it.

Tapping the piped with his talons, Brooklyn heard a hollow clank echoing back to him. That either meant that it was a water pipe and the water was shut off, or it could be a gas pipe and if so there would be no way to tell by tapping if the gas was still running.

“Hey, Donnie, do you have any electrical tape?” Donnie finally looked up from his work. “I need to see if there’s any gas running in this pipe and if there is, I need a way to reseal it.” Rifling through his bag, Donnie found the roll and tossed it to Leo, who then handed it to Brooklyn.

“I think I found a chair. I’ll go see if I can get Hyena into it.” Leo stated, earning a nod from the gargoyle.

Elisa’s radio started crackling, and she growled, positioning her body so Matt could grab it off her belt.

“Hello-ow!” Matt practically screeched into the receiver as Elisa hit a nerve while creating another suture.

“ _Bluestone?_ ” Goliath’s voice crackled over the radio, concern and confusion apparent in his deep voice.

“Your girlfriend is hurting me.” Matt whined, earning a slap to the back of his head. “Ow! You just made my point!” She slapped his head again.

“ _Oka~ay... Is Brooklyn there?_ ” Brooklyn groaned lightly, turning from his task at the pipes to eye Matt.

“Yes, but he’s busy at the moment.” Matt answered, relief shining in Brooklyn’s eyes.

“ _He has not been back to the castle in several nights. What is going on?_ ”

Matt turned to Elisa for what to say. She jerked her head, signaling for him to hold the radio to her. “Hey, Goliath, Brooklyn is fine, and so am I. We’re still dealing with The Pack situation currently.”

“ _The_ Pack?” Goliath sounded surprised. “ _Do you need help?_ ”

Brooklyn quickly slashed his hand across his neck, not wanting Goliath to come and take charge of everything. They were doing fine without him.

“No, we’re okay honey.” Elisa responded, winking to Brooklyn. “But I’ll be sure to let you know if we need back up, okay?”

Goliath grunted into the receiver, but didn’t pose any more argument. “ _Okay, just be careful._ ” Before Elisa could say anything else, Goliath cut the line. The human chuckled, turning back to her task on Matt's shoulder, earning another manly screech.

Rolling his eyes, Brooklyn turned back to the pipes. Grasping one of the larger ones, he pressed the talon on this thumb into the metal, the metal groaning in protest as he tried to poke a hole in the material. The pipe made a popping sound when his talon broke through, but no gas came leaking out. Brooklyn repeated this process on three other pipes, only finding one that still had running gas. Tossing the tape back to Donnie after resealing the gas pipe, Brooklyn moved and tore one of the pipes in its entirety off the wall.

Leo gulped, watching with awe at Brooklyn’s strength. The gargoyle’s muscles rippled under his red skin as he tore off the other two pipes, breaking one in half before carrying them all over to where Leo and Hyena were.

“I’m just going to say it now; that was impressive.” Brooklyn smirked at Leo’s comment, setting one of the pipes and the one he broke in half on the ground before moving to bend the pipe he still had in his hand around Hyena’s waist, pining her arms to her sides and her body to the chair. He then used the second whole pipe to secure her hands together, and each of the half pieces secured a foot to a chair leg. “Overkill?” Leo chuckled.

Brooklyn also chuckled. “I wish I could agree, but at this point I’m not willing to take any chances.”

Leo nodded, his attention turning back to Hyena when she groaned. “Not a moment too soon...” He muttered as the cyborg’s eyes fluttered open.

It took Hyena a moment to gather her surroundings, giving Brooklyn and Leo enough time to step out of the cell as Donnie activated the rudimentary electrical system he had set up.

“God, I hope that holds her...” Brooklyn huffed as Hyena began jerking at the pipes.

“The fuck is this?!” She shouted, screeching as she tried to free herself. “You’re all gonna fucking pay!”

Elisa looked up from Matt’s shoulder and frowned at Hyena. “Oh yeah, we’re all terrified.” She muttered, rolling her eyes before going back to Matt.

“You do realize, Maza, that I can just send out a message to my brother and he will come with an army in minutes.” Hyena smirked, thinking she had the upper hand, until she realized what Donnie was holding up in his hand.

“You wanna run that by me again?” Donnie asked, his own smirk spreading across his lips.  
“Look, we can do this the easy way where you just tell us what we need to know, or we can do it the hard way where we retrieve what we need.” Leo explained, his arms crossed, using his ‘leader tone’ as Mikey affectionately called it. Brooklyn thought he could get used to that tone.

“I’m assuming since you freaks have teamed up with the flying rats, then you hold some of the same moral values they do.” Hyena’s smirk returned. “Hurting me would go against that code.”

“It’s not exactly immoral if you like it, is it, Hyena?” Brooklyn growled, leaning towards the cell as Hyena glared at him. “So what’s it gonna be; easy or hard?”

“Fuck you.” 

Brooklyn rolled his eyes, stepping back. “Hard it is then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, is it just me, or is Hyena a lot like Princess Azula from Avatar: The Last Air Bender???


	30. Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's baaaack! Sorry for being gone for so long. I cannot guarantee I'll be very consistent with posting for a little while longer. I have a few weeks left of school and things are piling up quickly. But I am here with what all of you have been waiting for! Read on for the fluff!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,951  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: blossomed Brooklyn/Leo; Donnie/Mikey; referenced passed Raph/Leo

 

Hyena screamed and shook her chair, trying in vain to escape the pipes Brooklyn had bent around her body.

“Give it up, Hyena. You’re not going anywhere.” Brooklyn grumbled, beginning to develop a headache from the constant banging. “Donnie, how much longer will my ears have to put up with this?”

“Sorry Brooklyn,” Donnie called from his position on the floor behind a medical counter. “I have to calibrate my equipment to Hyena’s implanted mechanisms and it’s proving to be a lot harder than I was expecting…”

Brooklyn groaned painfully as the cyborg let out another, particularly piercing screech, as he slid down the wall. “Does she _need_ her vocal chords, or can I tear them out?!”

“No, Brooklyn, that would be illegal.” Elisa chuckled as she walked back into the old lab. She had gone off in search of Matt’s spare shirt in his vehicle. “Honestly, Matt, if you were anyone else, I would be asking why you carry a spare shirt in your brief case… And the fact that you even _carry_ a brief case… But you’re you, so I won’t.” Matt rolled his eyes, muttering an embarrassed ‘thank you’ as he swiftly pulled the shirt on.

Brooklyn let out another groan, much louder and more pained as he let his head fall back against the wall as Hyena scraped the legs of her chair against the concrete floor, the metal emitting what seemed to be a painful screech itself. Leo smiled sympathetically, trying not to laugh at the gargoyle’s plight as he moved over to kneel next to him.

“Let’s get some fresh air.” He stated, smiling when Brooklyn looked at him. Brooklyn nodded, wincing again when Hyena’s chair scraped across the concrete floor once more. The gargoyle quickly scrambled up, skirting out of the room as Hyena screeched again. Elisa smiled, watching as Leo quickly followed, butterflies forming in his stomach as Brooklyn led him to the rooftops.

Stretching out his wings, Brooklyn let out, what Leo could only describe as, a cross between a yawn and a growl. The muscles under Brooklyn’s red skin rippled and flexed, and Leo couldn’t help but watch.

“God, I think I might be deaf now…” Brooklyn grumbled, folding his wings over his shoulders. “I think she was doing that on purpose…”

“Probably. I don’t think she likes it when people get in her face.” Leo smirked, earning an amused frown from Brooklyn.

“All I asked was if she wanted to make it easy or hard. She’s probably more pissed at Donnie for setting up the transmission blocker.”

Leo chuckled, leaning against the edge of the roof and crossing his arms. “You also tied her up.”

“She didn’t know that was me.” Brooklyn countered, stepping closer to the turtle.

“It’s pretty obvious it was you. None of the rest of us have that kind of strength.” Leo’s heart skipped a few beats when Brooklyn placed his hands on the roof’s edge on either side of his hips.

“She wouldn’t know that.” Leo swallowed thickly, watching the light dance in Brooklyn’s green eyes. 

The air suddenly became heavy, almost boiling. Even though Leo knew he wanted this, he was also worried. Raph’s earlier approach had confused him. He knew he was still carrying a torch for the hot-head, but he also logically knew what they had was over and it couldn’t be rekindled.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Brooklyn’s soft statement drew Leo back to the present.

Letting out a small breath through his nose, Leo shook his head. “Nothing important.”

“You’re bad at lying.” Brooklyn stated, quirking a brow. “It’s about Raph, isn’t it?”

Leo sighed. “We’ve known each other for a few days and you’re already seeing through me.” Brooklyn chuckled, standing up straight, gingerly resting his hands on Leo’s hips. “Raph… He came into the room with me this morning.” Brooklyn’s gut dropped. “I kissed me… Tried to initiate… _more_ , but I just…” Leo sighed again, looking down. “I couldn’t do it. I-” Leo shook his head, swallowing thickly, unable to look up at Brooklyn. “I’ve wanted that for six months. But…”

Brooklyn watched Leo wrestle with his emotions. He knew the feeling. Removing one of his hands from Leo’s hip, Brooklyn moved to gently lift Leo’s chin. In the soft lighting, the blue of Leo’s eyes shown through the gray.

“Tell me I’m not imagining this…” Leo whispered. He was so scared of opening up again; so scared of being hurt.

“Leo, I know promises don’t mean a lot to you right now, but I _promise_ I won’t hurt you.” Leo allowed Brooklyn to pull him closer. The warm hand cupping the back of his neck made Leo swallow again.

“I don’t know if I can believe that yet…”

Brooklyn smiled, running his thumb along Leo’s jaw line. “I don’t expect you to.” He explained. “I sat in stone for a thousand years. I think waiting for you to trust my promise will be equivalent to a breath.” Leo chuckled wetly, trying to blame the wind for the wetness in his eyes. “I’m willing to wait as long as it takes.”

“Damn,” Leo breathed, the wind blowing through Brooklyn’s hair and the tassels of Leo’s mask. “I’m really falling hard for you…” Brooklyn smiled again, opening his wings and wrapping them around Leo, shielding him from the piercing November wind.

“Glad I’m not the only one.” Leo smiled. He couldn’t help but pull back slightly when Brooklyn began to move forward, but didn’t stop the gargoyle from pressing their lips together.

Warmth ran down Leo’s spine into his gut as he pressed closer to Brooklyn. The gargoyle’s wings tightened around his body as Leo uncrossed his arms. Gingerly, Leo ran his hands up Brooklyn’s chest. Brooklyn shivered at the feeling of Leo’s gloves against his skin, moving his hand that was still on Leo’s hip and slipped his arm around Leo’s waist. Moving even farther, Leo snaked his arms around Brooklyn’s neck. The gargoyle’s white hair was soft, and silky. Leo’s breathing deepened as he bunched the white tresses in his hands, running his fingers over the soft strands.

Deep, animalistic barking in the distance broke the spell. Brooklyn didn’t let go of Leo, but turned his head at the sound, seeming to recognize the pitch. Leo frowned, opening his mouth to ask what was wrong, but Brooklyn spoke before him.

“Bronx?” The gargoyle stated, more to himself than Leo. The barking continued, getting closer. It sounded now as if it was just around the corner. “Bronx?!” Brooklyn called out. The barking stopped for a moment, then, one excited bark sounded to the roof followed by the scurry of claws against pavement.

“Who’s Bronx?” Leo asked as the two listened once the scurrying had stopped.

“Well…” Brooklyn chuckled. “He’s sort of my clan’s dog…” As Brooklyn explained, the two heard something climbing its way up the side of the building before a blue head peeked over the ledge. “Bronx!” Bronx barked again, clambering his way over the roof’s ledge and over to Brooklyn.

Regrettably having to let go of one another, Brooklyn dropped to his knees and scratching behind the beast’s ears.

“What are you doing here?” Brooklyn asked, not expecting and answer.

“Seems like he missed you.” Leo chuckled, drawing the attention of the beast. Bronx cocked his head, moving away from Brooklyn to sniff at Leo. The beast circled Leo a few times, sniffing up and down the turtle’s legs before looking up at his face. Bronx barked again, sticking out his tongue and wagging his small tail, seeming to smile up at Leo.

“Well, he likes you.” Brooklyn laughed as Bronx jumped up, planting his front legs on Leo’s waist and barking again, wanting to be scratched. Leo smiled, reaching down and rubbing the beast’s ears. Bronx whined in appreciation, leaning into the affection as he continued to pant and wag his tail. “He’s claimed you now. You’re stuck with him.” Leo laughed at the comment, looking back up at the gargoyle. “My dog likes you, so you’re okay to keep.” Leo blushed, accepting another kiss from the gargoyle as he continued to rub the beast’s ears.

“The others are probably wondering where we are.” Leo chuckled, pulling back long enough to speak before Brooklyn captured his lips again.

“And I should probably tell Elisa to radio to Goliath where Bronx is.” Brooklyn added before moving for another kiss.

When Leo stopped rubbing Bronx’s ears, and the beast hopped down off Leo’s waist, he let out a sneeze, making Leo frown in confusion.

“He always does that.” Brooklyn stated as the three climbed down off the roof and began heading back into the old lab. “You rub his ears and he sneezes. Don’t know why. It’s the weirdest thing.” Leo laughed as the two entered the lab again, Bronx padding behind at their heels.

“You picked up a stray.” Elisa chuckled, walking over and kneeling to pet Bronx.

“I just heard him off in the distance. I don’t even know why he’s here.” Brooklyn explained, laying his arm over Leo’s shoulders. Elisa looked up, but paused when she saw Brooklyn’s arm over Leo’s shoulders. She looked from one male to the other, a large grin breaking out over her face as the realization of the situation dawned on her. “Don’t. Don’t do it.” Brooklyn groaned. “Don’t gush.”

“I fucking knew it!” She exclaimed, jumping back to her feet.

“A~and you’re gushing…” Brooklyn looked to the ground, but chuckled. At the excitement, the other three males in the room, Donnie, Mikey and Matt looked up at the group.

“Hey!” Donnie called, pointing to his brother and then to Elisa. “We knew it!”

“You’ve been here for a day!” Leo countered, a blush creeping over his face.

“Leo, I know you. I saw it.”

Mikey and Matt looked to one another before looking back at the others. “What’s going on?” Mikey asked, turning to Donnie.

“Just give it a minute, it’ll sink in.” Mikey sat, looking at Brooklyn and Leo, and nothing clicked, but Matt tilted his head back, letting out a silent ‘oh’ when he realized the situation.

“I got nothing…” Mikey shrugged, looking back towards Hyena in the cell. “Do you know what’s going on?” Hyena growled, a gag now fastened to her mouth and the chair bolted to the floor. “Yeah, me either.” Leo snorted, Bronx seeming not to take note of the situation and moved to check out Donnie and Mikey. “It’s a gargoyle puppy!” Mikey exclaimed, tossing his arms in the air. Bronx cocked his head for a moment before barking out his own excitement, jumping into Mikey’s open lap. The youngest turtle laughed, scratching at the gargoyle beast. Bronx was enjoying himself and kept leaning more and more into Mikey’s chest until he knocked the turtle over.

“Well, now he claimed Mikey.” Brooklyn smirked, turning to look at Leo. “Now you’re really stuck with us.”

Leo chuckled. “Once Mikey saw Bronx it was all over. Mikey claimed a stray kitten a few Christmases ago. And Klunk wasn’t the first animal, he was just the first one Mikey was allowed to keep.” Leo turned back to watch Bronx stand over the prone Mikey, licking at his face as Mikey continued to pet the beast. Leo hummed with affection, leaning into Brooklyn’s shoulder. Brooklyn moved to kiss Leo’s temple. Then Mikey shouted out an ‘oh’, pointing at the two.

“I get it!” The group laughed, Mikey turning to Donnie with a proud grin on his face.

“You’re such a dork.” Donnie laughed, leaning down to kiss his mate as Bronx flopped down onto Mikey’s chest. Hyena groaned in her cell, just wanting to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sneezing I wrote that Bronx does after you scratch his ears is something my dog does, and I think it's the cutest thing, and I have no idea why he does it. But my dog reminds me a lot of Bronx, so I sort of drew some parallels.


	31. Discovered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Really quick warning that this chapter contains topics of self-harm. I was in kind of a bad place myself when I wrote this chapter, so I'm sorry for that. But I may end up editing this chapter later. Right now I can't tell right now what's making me feel like this chapter is clunky. I've been drowned in job applications and college finals, but college finals are over, so I hope to get back into the groove of writing this story! It's another issue of I know where I want to go with the story, it's just how to get there that's killing me. XD But thank you all for being patient and here's chapter 31 for your enjoyment!
> 
> **UPDATE** I added some more detail to this chapter, and it feels a bit less clunky! Yay! Thank you CatInTheBox for your suggestions! It helped get my brain working. XD And I also put Bronx in! I forgot everyone's favorite beast, how could I! Anyway, I hope this makes this chapter better!

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,760  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; discovered self-harm  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Brooklyn/Leo; Colton/Raph; referenced passed Raph/Leo

 

Raph trudged through the cold sewers, kicking rocks and toing cracks in the concreate with his head down. God, he was an idiot. No, Leo was right, he _hadn’t_ wanted the blue clad leader back; he had just wanted affection. But his heart belonged to Colton now, even if the human had apparently been an _asshole_ for the past six months to Leo. And starting something in the middle of the abandoned lab? He _was_ a liability right now, he realized. He needed to get himself together.

Looking up when he noticed he had come to an exit, he sighed, hefting himself up the ladder, chills running through his body every time his skin contacted the cold metal. Pushing the manhole cover out of the way, Raph realized he was near where Colton’s apartment was. He blinked for a moment, wondering if he had consciously traveled here or if his thoughts had lead him here.

Cold wind blasted through the alley as a semi-truck flew by. Raph’s teeth chattered, and he regretted not bringing along at _least_ a scarf. The thought of going to Colton’s apartment, which the human had been planning on selling until Raph kicked him out a few nights ago. He knew he’d said he didn’t want to see the human until Colton cleared things up with Leo, but now he was longing for that contact. Well, he either needed to drop back down into the sewer away from the wind, or he needed to head to Colton’s, also away from the wind and significantly warmer than wandering the sewers. Sighing at his lack of resolve, Raph replaced the manhole cover and began moving up the fire escape of Colton’s apartment.

The fire escape’s window offered Raph a direct view into the kitchen of the apartment. Colton was moving around the small area, a soft beat bumping through the glass as the human prepared something. His black hair was tied up into a half bun, the multiple streaks of colour shining against the dark strands. Raph smiled. He had always liked Colton’s hair.

Raph was about to turn around, and leave before Colton noticed he was there, but the human turned to the window. Not expecting to see the turtle at his window, Colton jumped, dropping the pot full of noodles all over the kitchen floor, barely missing his feet as he danced away from the mess. Raph pressed his lips together, trying to hide his amusement.

Colton’s face twitched with fear slightly, and Raph understood why. He hadn’t exactly been gentle when he had, essentially, kicked Colton out in the days prior. He had just been so mad… But, looking at it now, he was beginning to understand why Colton had done what he had done. Perhaps the human was even more insecure than he let on.

Colton stood for a few more moments before he stepped over the mess of noodles now lying strewn about the kitchen floor to walk over to the window.

“You get to clean that shit up.” Colton grumbled, turning his head to avoid making eye contact with the turtle.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean ta scare ya.” Raph chuckled, grinning widely, trying to make Colton feel some sense of security.

“What are you doing here?” The hope in the human’s voice did not go unnoticed to Raph as those purple eyes glanced back his way.

“That’s a good question.” Raph lamented with a small shrug. “Truthfully I didn’t even realize where I was goin’ ‘til I was here.” Colton smiled affectionately, but still a bit trepidatious, pulling at the edge of his left sleeve cuff as he stepped back to give Raph room to enter the small apartment. Raph never understood why the human kept such a small space. He made more than enough money to own a house meant for a family of five, but he for some reason wanted this small space.

“I would offer to share my dinner with you, but it’s currently all over the floor.” Colton shot Raph a slightly irritated look.

“I keep telling ya not ta let yer guard down.” Raph smirked. Colton rolled his eyes with a grin, moving back into the kitchen to start cleaning up the mess.

Raph watched for a few moments, not quite sure how to start a conversation. But then something caught his eye. From under the nondominant sleeve of Colton’s turtleneck, white bandages wrapped around his wrist. Raph frowned, tilting his head to get a better look. As Colton reached out to sweep the noodles on the floor into a pile, more of the bandages peeked out of the sleeve, red dotting further down his forearm. Raph’s eyes popped.

“ _Colton! _” He shouted, moving quickly to the human’s side. Colton jumped again, frowning and turning to look at Raph, but the turtle seized his left arm before he could react, pushing the sleeve of his shirt up to reveal bandages wrapping most of his forearm, blood leaking through the white fabric.__

__Panicking, Colton yanked his arm away, banging his elbow on the wall behind him. The human whined, rubbing his throbbing joint as Raph rubbed his temples._ _

__“Oh my God, Colton what did ya do?!”_ _

__Colton shook his head, refusing to make eye contact with the turtle as he pulled his sleeve back down, returning to the task of cleaning up the noodles. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”_ _

__“Nothin’ I need ta worry about?!” Raph gave the back of Colton’s head an incredulous look. “Colton, yer-”_ _

__“I know very well what I’m doing!” Colton snapped, turning with angry eyes at Raph, but for some reason, Raph didn’t think that anger was directed at him. “I deserve this, so back off!”_ _

__“No ya don’t!” Raph shouted back, concern threading in his words. Any anger or frustration he may have held for the human evaporated in an instant. “No one deserves that!”_ _

__Colton sighed, going back to cleaning the kitchen. “Yes, I do. After everything I did. I deserve to be hated…”_ _

__“Colton,” Raph placed a hand on the human’s shoulder. “Leo doesn’t hate ya.” This made Colton pause. He blinked down at the pile of noodles on the floor. “He doesn’t hate ya and…” Raph let out a heavy sigh. “And neither do I.”_ _

__“But why?” Colton asked, turning to Raph once more. “The two of you have every right to hate me. I was an asshole.”_ _

__“Well… Yeah…” Raph tried to think of something comforting to say, trying to tell Colton that he understood where his actions had come from. But all that came out was, “This is so not my area of expertise…” Colton chuckled, tugging on the cuff of his sleeve again, feeling self-conscious about what Raph now knew. “Look, Colton, I want ya ta come home.”_ _

__Colton’s eyes shot up. “R-really?”_ _

__Raph nodded. “I’ve… kinda been a mess without ya there…”_ _

__Suddenly Colton’s face dropped. “But… What about Leo…?”_ _

__Raph smiled, letting out a soft chuckle. “Well… Um, Leo sort of found someone… I think…” Colton blinked, opening his mouth to ask a question when someone knocked, rather harshly, on his door. “Are ya expectin’ someone?” Raph asked, his voice dropping just below a whisper so whomever was there wouldn’t hear him._ _

__“No…” Colton answered. Whomever was at the door knocked again, more aggressively. “But why do I get the feeling they aren’t here for a party?”_ _

__“Colton Woods!” A gruff voice shouted from the other side of the door._ _

__“Shit…” Raph hissed, recognizing the voice as Wolf’s. Bishop apparently had found the other two members of The Pack, and figured out where Colton lived. The bastard had apparently remembered Colton’s name from the last fight the human had become tangled up in. Raph was suddenly very glad he had come to Colton’s._ _

__“I take it they aren’t friendly.” Colton grumbled, the two moving to the bedroom at the back of the apartment._ _

__“No… Damn Bishop works fast…”_ _

__“Open up!” Wolf growled, banging on the door again._ _

__“Oh just break it down!” Another male voice grumbled; Jackal._ _

__“Time ta go.” Raph stated, knowing Jackal would be pissed that his twin was being held captive. Grabbing Colton’s hand Raph all but dragged him to the bedroom, closing the door as quietly behind them as he could. Colton moved to the window at the far end of the room, sliding it open and climbing out onto the fire escape there. Raph quickly followed, closing the window and using one of his sai to jimmy the lock shut, hopefully buying them some more time._ _

__The crash from the front door flying open and into the far wall was audible, even from halfway down the fire escape._ _

__“Well that’s just fantastic…” Colton grumbled as the two jumped down the last balcony and moved around the far side of the building to the alley Raph had originally entered from. The window to Colton’s apartment on this side of the building was still open and the two stopped short, ducking back into the shadows as Jackal’s head popped out, his mechanical eye blinking red as he scanned the alley. Raph and Colton moved behind a dumpster to avoid detection as another crash could be heard from the back of Colton’s apartment. Lights from other apartments below Colton’s illuminated, the tenants having been either woken or alarmed by the racket coming from their usually quiet neighbor._ _

__“Find him?” Jackal shouted back, moving back into the apartment, satisfied that there was no one in the alley._ _

__“No!” Wolf howled, tossing something heavy across the room._ _

__“I swear if any of my books are damaged…” Colton grumbled, earning an incredulous look from Raph._ _

__“ _That’s_ what yer worried about?” Raph chuckled. “Yer _such_ a nerd…” Colton gave Raph a small pout before the terrapin signaled for the two of them to make for the manhole cover he had exited from. “We need ta get away from those two.”_ _

__“Are you going to explain what the hell is going on?” Colton asked, pulling the metal cover over the hole after he entered the sewer._ _

__“Seeing as how you’re a part of this shit now, I guess I have to…” Raph agreed, the two taking off in a run down the corridors of the sewers, Raph leading the way as he explained everything that had happened since he had kicked Colton out._ _

__

__\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__

__This couldn’t be real. The arm around his shoulders, the way everyone was smiling, this was a dream. It _had_ to be._ _

__Leo rolled his tongue between his teeth as he contemplated how his life had changed in a matter of a few days and the split-second decision not to push Brooklyn away on that roof. Was that what he should have done? Raph’s approach the previous morning had confused Leo. He knew logically that he and Raph would never be again, but what if…? Shaking his head, Leo laughed at himself shifting closer to Brooklyn. He was over analyzing, again. That was good during a fight when he needed to make tough decisions. In this case? Jesus, maybe he _was_ Splinter junior._ _

__“How’s it coming, Donnie?” Elisa’s voice broke through Leo’s thoughts._ _

__“Long. Tedious. Irritating. Pick an adjective.” Donnie grumbled. Hyena smirked behind her gag._ _

__“Would it be helpful to have a second pair of hands?” Brooklyn asked, catching Donnie’s attention. Leo felt the rumble of Brooklyn’s voice beat through his spine and began to relax again. “I could bring Lex down. Maybe he could help out.”_ _

__“Yes. That would be amazing.” Donnie responded. “Maybe a fresh pair of eyes can see something I don’t.”_ _

__“I don’t think you would have time to make it back to the castle tonight.” Elisa stated, turning to Brooklyn. She had been trying to reach Goliath about Bronx for about twenty minutes, but the gargoyle leader must have left and forgotten his radio behind, because Hudson had picked up. Apparently, Bronx had already been missed and the leader had gone in search of him. Hudson had sighed heavily and mumbled that they would just have to wait to let him know until he got back, because there was no point in trying to follow._ _

__“Goliath could be anywhere by now…” The old warrior had huffed. “The lad will just have ta stew until he gets back since he went and tottled off without his radio…”_ _

__Brooklyn was about to respond to Elisa’s worry about sunrise, when the pounding of feet echoed into the lab. The group frowned, getting ready for a fight, Brooklyn instinctively pulling Leo closer, when Raph and another human flew around the corner, almost knocking into Leo and Brooklyn. Leo stumbled to the side when Brooklyn opened his wings off his red shoulders, the instinct to be ready to fly off kicking in._ _

__“Raph?” Leo questioned as he caught the slight panic in his brother’s eye. Then he noticed the human behind him. “Colton?” For the first time in months, Leo’s voice didn’t hold any distain when he said the human’s name. “What’s wrong?”_ _

__“Jackal and Wolf showed up at Colton’s apartment.” Raph explained as the human in question tried to catch his breath, less accustomed to running long distances than Raph.  
“Where you followed?!” Leo shot a worried look at Donnie._ _

__Raph shook his head. “No, they didn’t see either of us. They didn’t exactly hide the fact they were there.”_ _

__“Broke the front door of my apartment down.” Colton grumbled, standing upright, only now noticing Brooklyn. Brooklyn couldn’t help the amused smirk that crossed his beak at the realization that crossed Colton’s face. “Made some new friends?” Colton asked, looking over to Elisa and Matt as well._ _

__“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the weirdness.” Matt stated from his position on the examination table, waving at Colton._ _

__“I’m gonna time it to see how long it takes these two to start a conspiracy battle.” Mikey whispered to Elisa after pulling on her pant leg to get her attention. He was still laying prone on the floor with Bronx laying on top of him, not wanting the beast to move as Bronx had fallen asleep. The female smiled, nodding enthusiastically down at the orange clad turtle as Mikey pulled up the timer on his shell cell. Donnie grinned, rolling his eyes._ _

__“Bishop seems to work faster and faster every time we tangle with him…” Leo huffed, crossing his arms. Brooklyn could practically see the agitation rolling off the turtle. “I just wish we knew what his end game was…”_ _

__“I could still talk to him at the Illuminati meeting.” Matt suggested, looking at his watch. Colton blinked, making Mikey smirk and look down at the timer._ _

__“Matt, he just _shot_ you, and _killed_ another officer.” Elisa stated, turning to her partner. “Anything you ask now would make him suspicious.”_ _

__“It could still be worth a shot though!”_ _

__“Wait, wait, back up. _Illuminati_?!” The twinkle in Colton’s eye didn’t go unnoticed to Raph, making the hot-head roll his eyes._ _

__“Here we go…” He grumbled, crossing his arms and frowning._ _

__“Yeah, Bishop is an eleventh seat. I just recently moved up to thirty-five” Matt explained, a slight hint of pride at the last statement, as if that would answer every question clearly running through Colton’s head._ _

__“You’re bullshitting me right now.” Colton stated, crossing his own arms and giving Matt a stern look._ _

__“Why would I be bullshitting you?”_ _

__“Time?” Elisa asked, turning back to Mikey._ _

__“A minute and forty-five seconds. Honestly I thought it would take longer.” Mikey answered, slipping his shell cell back into his obi._ _

__“I didn’t.” Elisa smirked, stuffing her hands in her pockets._ _

__“The average person couldn’t gain access to the Illuminati.” Colton reasoned. “You’d have to know someone.”_ _

__“Clearly I did.” Matt huffed, seeming a little hurt._ _

__“Well, I can smell the testosterone…” Elisa chuckled, looking from her partner to the new member of their group. “But either way, that idea is out Matt. In fact, it might not be a bad idea for you to lay low for a while since Bishop knows who you are now.”_ _

__“That means you won’t be alone anymore, Elisa.” Brooklyn grinned when Elisa glared at him._ _

__“I still don’t understand why _I’m_ on lock down…” She grumbled, earning a grin from Matt._ _

__“We can play Scrabble.” Matt teased, earning a quirked brow from Elisa. “Or Monopoly.”_ _

__“Monopoly, the game that has been testing friendships for decades.” Mikey’s comment pulled a chuckle from everyone in the group, a nice respite from the stress that was sure to come their way._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any ideas of things I should/can add to make this chapter flow a bit better, please don't hesitate to tell me! I always appreciate the help! Keep a look out for an edit of this chapter because I have a strong feeling I will be editing it.


	32. Drag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am SO sorry for going MIA for so long! I've had so much going on this summer! But here is the next chapter none the less and I apologize again for taking so long! :(

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,860  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Brooklyn/Leo; Colton/Raph; Donnie/Mikey; referenced passed Raph/Leo

 

Surprise overtook Leo when he realized he was actually _happy_ that Colton was back. Of course, leaning against Brooklyn’s shoulder probably helped fuel this sudden revelation, but Leo didn’t care. Raph’s mood had _palpably_ improved, though he seemed to be hovering over Colton for a reason Leo could only guess at. He could sense an air of fear maybe, or concern around his hot-headed brother for the human, but decided not to ask as he didn’t exactly want to get in the middle of whatever might have happened. Everyone’s mood was too good, given the current circumstances, to risk ruining it by Leo shoving his nose where it didn’t belong.

Leo’s attention was suddenly drawn back to Hyena. The cyborg had given up trying to get away a while ago, and instead thought she could stare daggers through Donnie’s head until he let her go. But Donnie didn’t even seem to notice her. He was busily typing away at his keyboard, eyes darting around his screen as he tried to calibrate something-or-other to Hyena’s circuits… or something like that… Leo was intelligent, but Donnie’s science babble always left him bewildered.

At some point, Leo couldn’t tell when, he had drifted off to sleep. Brooklyn smiled down at the turtle as his head became heavier on the gargoyle’s shoulder. Knowing he would turn to stone soon, Brooklyn carefully moved Leo to rest on his lap. The last thing the turtle needed was to slip of Brooklyn’s shoulder and hit his head on Brooklyn’s stone legs. Elisa smiled as she watched her friend. She hadn’t seen such tenderness in Brooklyn’s eyes for a long time. In fact, she couldn’t _remember_ the last time she had seen him like that. She was happy for the red gargoyle. She really was.

Time rolled by like a snail. Mikey had convinced Donnie to take a break and, even though the genius had tried to refuse, the minute his eyes were closed, he was asleep. Matt, Raph and Colton soon followed leaving only Elisa and Mikey awake after Brooklyn and Bronx had turned to stone.

“I can take first watch over scary cyborg lady.” Mikey offered, trying not to move too much and wake up Donnie.

Elisa shrugged. “If you want to that’s fine. I’m not really that tired myself.” Hyena snarled, looking from Mikey to Elisa. “Then again, it might not be a bad idea for two of us to watch her at once…” Elisa felt a shiver run down her spine at Hyena’s icy glare. She would have tangled with Demona any day before Hyena or anyone in The Pack for that matter, because at least Demona was _somewhat_ predictable. Now with Bishop in the mix, there was no telling _what_ these psychopaths might do. Another shiver ran down Elisa’s spine as she settled down against the wall to keep an eye on Hyena with Mikey.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It was about five hours later when Mikey stood, carefully slipping Donnie off his lap and resting his head against a towel that the prankster pulled from an old cabinet.

“What are you doing?” Elisa asked, trepidation apparent in her tone as Mikey moved around the room.

“I’m looking to see if there’s anything interesting to mess with in here.” Mikey responded, poking around the drawers of the once full desk.

“Is that a good idea?” Elisa asked, setting her phone down that she had been playing Panda Pop on.

“I’ll be careful!” Mikey whined, looking back to the female. “Besides, I don’t have games on my Shell Cell like you do on your phone so I’m bored.”

“Generally speaking, one of us should have our eyes on our friend here at all times.” Elisa smirked, watching Mikey pout when he found nothing of entertaining value in the desk at moved to the cupboards to the right.

“Please,” Mikey scoffed, turning back toward Elisa. “No one could break through Donnie’s fields. Besides, Sir Gargoyle Brooklyn seemed to secure her just fine.” Elisa chuckled, but posed no further argument as Mikey moved back to his search and disappeared around the corner.

It was a few moments before Mikey’s voice wafted back around the corner with a confused tone.

“Hey Elisa…?” He called, prompting the police woman to look up at the mention of her name.

“What?” She called back, standing up and slipping her phone back in her pocket.

“I thought Sevarius was a guy…?”

Elisa frowned at the question. “Um, yeah, he was… Why?” She watched with curiosity as Mikey came back around into her line of sight, holding up a dress that was styled from the eighties. Pink and red roses with green leaves covered a black background. Elisa could only blink at the garment. “Where the hell was that?” She asked, noting the pristine look of the fabric, as if it had been locked away from all the dust and grime over the years.

“Over here in a closet… Like… A _huge_ closet…” Curiosity overtook the detective as she abandoned watching Hyena to see what Mikey was talking about.

The two moved around the corner and came face to face with a huge armoire. Inside was an assortment of women’s clothing, ranging from business suits and heels to casual wear and flats.

“I guess Sevarius must have had a wife at some point…” Elisa muttered, moving her hand over the fabric lining the hangers.

“Um, unless his wife was six foot and wore a size fifteen in women’s shoes, I think these were, or possibly still are, Sevarius’…”

Elisa’s jaw dropped as she looked down at the shoes that, she now realized, _dwarfed_ her average eight and a half shoe size.

“Oh, my, God!” She laughed, looking back to the clothes. “I think Sevarius was a cross-dresser!” She exclaimed, noting the fine quality to the tailoring job.

“I would say more of a drag queen.” Mikey laughed, picking up a photo album and flipping through the pages. The two laughed together as they looked through the numerous images of Sevarius in outlandish makeup, wearing wigs with some of his outfits and posing for the camera.

“I hate to say it but he actually looks kinda good in makeup.” Elisa snorted, taking the photo album when Mikey moved back to the clothing.

“As pretty as me?” Looking up from the album, Elisa laughed so hard she almost dropped the book. Mikey had chosen to adorn a large, straw hat with a pink ribbon, using a fan to cover most of his face as he posed.

“You’d look better with a dress on.” Elisa chuckled, holding her stomach as she tried to regulate her breathing.

“Oh, you don’t have to ask me twice.” A glimmer of mischief shone in the young turtle’s eyes as he moved back to the closet.

“What are you two doing?” A groggy Matt asked as he stepped around the corner, rubbing sleep from his eyes and yawning.

“We found Sevarius’ secret drag collection.” Elisa explained, holding out the photo album for her partner to see.

“Um…” Matt’s eyes widened as he looked upon the images of drag queen Sevarius.

“How do I look now?” The two humans looked up to find Mikey had adorned the first dress he had shown to Elisa, keeping the hat and fan and striking the same pose. The two detectives couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Over the next hour, Matt and Mikey had sifted through the extensive clothing, finding more armoires and other drawers filled with more and more clothing and accessories. The two tried on several outfits, Elisa snapping pictures on her phone as the antics continued.

“Wait! I have an idea!” Mikey exclaimed, grabbing the hat he had first adorned and trotting back out to the main area of the lab. Matt and Elisa followed, watching as Mikey deactivated the electricity running through the metal bars of Hyena’s cell, before stepping inside and reactivating it. Hyena watched the turtle with trepidation and hatred swirling in her eyes.

“What are you doing…?” Elisa asked, her instincts kicking with Mikey so closed to Hyena and the cyborg looking so very _pissed off_.

“I think she needs a hat.” Mikey smirked, making Matt snort as the turtle set the straw had on Hyena’s head. At the contact, Hyena tried to lunge at Mikey, but only succeeded in unbalancing her chair and sending herself tumbling over into Mikey. Mikey let out a girly scream, falling onto the floor under Hyena and tossing the remote for the electricity to the other side of the cell.

“Mikey!” Elisa and Matt shouted, running as close as they could to the bars without getting hurt.

“I’m okay!” Mikey stated, though he groaned. “Jesus lady, you’re heavy…” He grunted, wiggling out from under Hyena, who had effectively screwed herself over by falling, as Mikey decided not to lift the chair back up to a seated position.

“What the hell is going on?!” Leo shouted, moving up next to Elisa and Matt as Mikey moved to retrieve the remote. He paused, however, when he noticed both his brother and Matt adorning female clothing. “This is actually fairly normal for Mikey, but… Matt… Why are you wearing a skirt…?” Matt’s cheeks flushed, quickly removing the female clothing from his body as Donnie, Raph and Colton awoke to investigate the racket as well.

“We found a _bunch_ of female clothing in an armoire over there!” Mikey exclaimed, pointing around the corner as he stepped out of the cell after deactivating the electricity.

“Let me guess, ya decided ta dress Hyena up and she didn’t like that too much.” Raph grumbled, crossing his arms as he looked down at the prone Hyena.

“I just wanted to give her a hat!” Mikey whined, crossing his own arms and pouting.

“We should probably stand the chair up again and make sure you didn’t do any damage.” Donnie stated, stretching his arms above his head and looking more refreshed than he had in a while.

“Okay…” Mikey whined again, stepping back into the cell with Donnie and lifting Hyena back up into a seated position.

“Wait…” Donnie knelt down, examining behind Hyena’s right ear. Hyena’s eyes widened, trying to jerk away from the genius’ prying eyes.

“What is it Donnie?” Leo asked, noting the small gimmer of excitement in his brother’s eyes.

“There’s a docking port here!” Donnie exclaimed, practically jumping in place.

“What?”

“There’s a docking port behind Hyena’s ear! I didn’t notice it before because it’s designed only to open when pressed! When it’s closed there’s virtually no seam or indication where the hatch opens! I should be able to plug right into her internal systems and download everything we need!”

“And this was all because Mikey tried ta put some stupid hat on her head?” Raph asked with an incredulous look.

“I must have pressed the panel when I flailed…” Mikey stated, poking at the swinging panel.

“You flailed… and hit the panel…?” Donnie asked, turning to his mate.

Mikey shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so…”

“Of courses you did…” Donnie chuckled, shaking his head as he moved to gather his equipment. “That’s such a _you_ thing, Mikey.”


	33. New Addition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I promise I haven't forgot about this story! I'm still writing it, though it's going A LOT slower than I would like it. I'm back in college and working two jobs so I'm gonna do as much writing as I can, but I don't know if I'll be very consistent. I'm SUPER sorry about that guys, but I'm gonna do my best to get you chapters as fast as I can while not damaging any quality. :)

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 1,792  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Brooklyn/Leo; Colton/Raph; Donnie/Mikey; reference Goliath/Elisa

 

Stone scattered across the lab floor as Brooklyn and Bronx awoke from their stone sleep. Bronx let out a long, waking whine as he stretched his paws out in front of him. Brooklyn cracked his neck, making Elisa cringe and make a gross face at him as he walked over to see what progress had been made on Hyena while he was asleep.

“Looks like an advancement has been made.” Brooklyn mused, tilting his head to examine the chords running from Donnie’s laptop to Hyena’s neck. “And that looks just a little more than disconcerting…” Hyena glared at Brooklyn, but kept her head down. Brooklyn quirked a brow at the display of submission. “What’s up with her?”

“About five hours ago, the genius that is Mikey decided ta try and dress Hyena up and accidentally found a port that Don here was able to plug inta.” Raph explained, jabbing his thumb back at a very smug looking Michelangelo.

“I solved the problem!” Mikey exclaimed, tossing his hands up in the air.

“Yeah, after squealing like a little girl.” Raph huffed, rolling his eyes.

“Awe, is Raphie jealous that I, the Mikester, found the secret port of justice and he didn’t?” Mikey practically sang as he poked at Raph’s shoulder. Raph flinched at each touch but did his best not to react.

“Mikey, I think you’re pushing your luck. Better to knock it off now before you’re sporting some nice bruises.” Colton chuckled, watching the veins slowly begin to rise on Raph’s temples.

“Nah, I’m gonna make him admit that he’s jealous~!” Sighing, Colton shrugged his shoulders.

“Hey, where’s Leo?” Brooklyn asked. “And Matt?” He added, noticing that both the turtle leader and the redhead were missing.

“They went on a food run.” Elisa stated, leaning against the desk. “Matt and Mikey wouldn’t stop whining about food so Leo finally gave in and left with Matt to get breakfast.” Brooklyn nodded, flinching at Raph’s shout of ‘That’s it!’ before Mikey’s scream echoed off the walls of the lab. Colton jumped back as Mikey shot passed him, Raph barreling after, in an attempt to take Mikey down.

“If you would have just admitted you were jealous I would have left you alone!” Mikey screamed as he ran out of the lab, Raph hot on his heels. The two brothers barely missed crashing into Leo who was carrying two bags full of food. The blue clad leader stumbled backwards, running into Matt who teetered as he tried to balance two drink trays.

“What is going on?” Leo asked, exacerbated as he and Matt righted themselves. “I leave for ten minutes and already Mikey has done something to piss off Raph.”

“It surprises you that Mikey’s pissed off Raph?” Donnie chuckled, still typing away on his computer. “I was amazed it didn’t happen sooner.” Leo sighed, shaking his head as he moved to place the food on the desk Elisa was leaning against.

“My only consolation is that no food or coffee was harmed in the making of that hasty retreat.” Matt quipped, looking back down the corridor as Mikey banked a hard right, trying to lose Raph and failing miserably. “Figured Dunkin’ Doughnuts was the best option since you’re grouchy without your coffee first thing in the evenings.” Narrowing her eyes at Matt’s snarky quip, Elisa snatched her drink from the tray he offered her.

“Thanks jerk.” She mumbled, taking a sip of the warm beverage. “At least you got my order right.”

As Leo pulled the food out of bags and arranged it on the old lab desk, Matt passed out everyone’s drinks, only once having to avoid spilling one.

“If you’re coffee’s wrong, blame Leo, not me.” Matt stated as he handed Brooklyn his drink.

“Yeah, just throw me under the bus Matt, thanks.” The turtle chuckled, giving the human in incredulous look. Brooklyn smiled, taking a sip of the drink and frowning. “Is it that bad?” Leo asked, a sheepish look on his face.

“No, it’s actually exactly right…” Brooklyn marveled, looking over the rim of the paper cup at Leo and quirking a brow.

“I have a photographic memory.” Leo shrugged, a blush creeping up onto his cheeks. “I saw Elisa make your coffee the other night.” Brooklyn smiled again, taking another sip before moving next to Leo. A crash resounded from the corridor outside the lab followed by a scream from Mikey as Brooklyn wrapped his arm around Leo’s shoulders and kissed the turtle’s temple.

“Thank you.” He whispered, both grimacing at another crash and scream chorus.

“I should go…” Leo pointed out to the corridor, both he and Brooklyn looking out into the darkness. Brooklyn nodded, flinching when Raph shouted.

“Yeah, I think you’d better.” He answered, reluctant to let Leo go, but watching as the oldest turtle moved out into the corridor, shouting for his brothers to stop.

“Five bucks says there’s peace for about an hour after Leo gets things under control.” Donnie smirked, still never looking up from his computer.

“Ten bucks says a half an hour.” Donnie’s brow quirked in response to Colton’s counter.

“Double or nothing?” The turtle asked.

“You’re on Brainiac.” Colton agreed, slapping Donnie’s outstretched hand to seal the agreement.

“Wanna bet on who wins that wager?” Elisa smirked, leaning over to Matt.

“No! You always win!” Matt whined. Brooklyn snickered, watching Leo chase after Raph, trying to keep him from catching Mikey again.

“Raphael, enough! You are being a child!” He hissed.

“So what?! I’m gonna kill ‘im!” In response to the threat, Mikey screamed again, darting into the lab and burrowing into Donnie’s lap.

“Watch it!” Donnie gasped, his coffee sloshing dangerously over his laptop.

“Save me!” Mikey whimpered.

“No. You got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out.”

Brooklyn watched on with endearment, memories returning of his siblings. While struggling with Raphael, Leo looked up as smiled at Brooklyn, shaking his head, seeming to read the other’s thoughts. The gargoyle sipped his coffee and just enjoyed the seemingly comfortable chaos.

 

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“Alright, Lex should be here in twenty minutes.” Brooklyn stated, tossing the radio back to Elisa.

“Cool. Maybe he can see the last piece I’m missing from this command strip, because I have been working on this for a solid hour and I can’t make any sense of why I can’t gain access.” Donnie grumbled, rubbing the bridge of his snout in frustration.

“Any protests from Goliath?” Elisa asked, popping the last piece of her doughnut in her mouth.

“Surprisingly no.” Brooklyn answered, standing next to Leo. “Which both reliefs and concerns me…”

“I’ve been hearing a lot about this ‘Goliath’ and he doesn’t seem terribly friendly.” Mikey frowned, nudging his foot out to shove at Raph’s.

“I swear to God, Mikey, I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.” Raph growled. “Either that or kill one of yer comics. Same difference really.”

“Okay, first of all, rude.” Mikey grumbled, pointing at Raph. “Second, is anyone gonna answer my question?”

“There was no question, you just made a comment.” Leo quirked a brow at his younger brother, a warning to the prankster to stop his line of inquiry, but Mikey, of course, didn’t take the hint.

“Fine! Who is this Goliath and why is he such a dick?!”

“Michelangelo!” Leo and Donnie shouted, turning to their youngest brother with disapproving, angry gazes.

Elisa only chuckled. “He’s not really a dick.” She answered, biting into her third doughnut. “He’s just… Strict.”

“Goliath is the leader of our clan. I think, out of all of us, he has the hardest time truly believing the humans have changed.” Brooklyn stated, earning a nod from Elisa. “Ironic considering he’s mated to one.” Elisa quirked a brow, giving a smirking Brooklyn an irked look.

“You’re dating a gargoyle?!” Mikey asked, almost bouncing on the spot. “You and Leo have so much in common!” Leo and Elisa groaned, blushing. “But anyway,” Mikey’s tone became serious again. “He really doesn’t seem like a nice guy, at least right now. I mean, isn’t that why you’re not with the rest of the gargoyles, Brooklyn?”

Twisting around, Donnie slapped Mikey across the back of the head. “Enough! You’re being rude!” He scolded, earning puppy-dog eyes from Mikey as the prankster rubbed his head. “Those won’t work on me!”

“It’s fine Donnie.” Brooklyn grinned, feeling the weight of Leo’s body on his chest as he breathed, and, for some reason, not feeling as uncomfortable about answering Mikey’s questions as he thought he might be.

“Goliath and I are just… A little bit at logger heads right now. We’re not exactly seeing eye to eye on certain… issues.”

“Oh…” Mikey drawled. “So it’s like Raph and Leo’s pissing matches-” Raph tossed his empty coffee cup at Mikey, hitting him in the side of the head, the lid popping off and spraying a little bit of the brown liquid on Mikey.

“Knock it off!”

“What the hell Raph?! I was just messing!”

“Yeah, well yer messin’ around a lot, and it’s pissin’ me off!”

“Oh, what _doesn’t_ piss you off?!”

“Pay up Colton.” Donnie smirked, holding out his hand. “It’s been just over an hour.”

“Goddammit…” Colton sighed, pulling out his wallet and tossing Donnie a twenty.

“And no records for peace were set this day…” Leo mumbled, slumping down against Brooklyn, making the gargoyle smile as Raph and Mikey continued to argue. “Please don’t hurt each other…”

“The party can official begin; I have arrived.” The party turned to another, green gargoyle, standing in the doorway to the lab, a grin on his face.

“Hey, Lex.” Brooklyn greeted, rolling his eyes. “Though, I think you _killed_ the party.” Lexington pouted, crossing his arms.

“Oh, like _you’re_ the life of a party- whoa…” Turning to his rookery brother, Lexington saw Leo leaning against Brooklyn, Brooklyn’s wings draped lazily around Leo’s shoulders.

“Say anything, and I _kill_ you.” Brooklyn growled, though Lex knew it was lighthearted. Out of the whole clan, Lexington was one who know how to best keep a secret.

“So, I hear you have my mortal enemy locked up.” Lex smirked, changing the subject, earning a silent ‘thank you’ from Brooklyn.

“She’s in there.” Matt stated, pointing to his right at the cage Hyena was tied up in.

“Holy, shit.” Lex laughed, bouncing over to the cage. “Next time, include me in the takedown!” Brooklyn chuckled, raising his hand and pointing at Donnie.

“That’s the Brainiac that need’s your Brainiac help.”

“You’re smart enough to learn this stuff too, ya know.” Lex grumbled, moving over to look at Donnie’s offered computer screen.

“Yeah, but that requires listening to you.” This comment earned Brooklyn a glare. The red gargoyle chuckled, tightening his wings around Leo as they watched the two Braniacs work.


	34. Scratch Off One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, I _swear_ I have not forgotten about, or given up on this story! School and work have kind of encompassed my life recently. I _swear_ this story _will_ continue, it's just a matter of how often I can get to it.

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, TMNT and all their characters do not belong to me. No money is being made.  
Word Count: 2,258  
Rating PG-13  
Warnings: language; blood; gore  
Pairing(s) in this Chapter: Brooklyn/Leo

 

They had been arguing for twenty minutes, and still no agreement had been reached.

“No! You cannot go out there right now!” Brooklyn growled again, tossing his hands in the air. “Bishop knows who you are! If you go out there, he could find you!”

“Well, Matt can’t go!” Elisa countered, cocking her hip out. “He’s hurt, and Bishop knows who he is now too!”

“But Bishop doesn’t know Matt’s working with _us_! All he knows is Matt is a cop!”

“One of us has to respond to the call!”

Twenty minutes previously, Matt had received a page on his cell, asking for back up in a high-speed chase currently ripping through downtown.

“I’ll go!” Brooklyn offered, holding his arms out.

“They’re expecting a cop, not a gargoyle!” Elisa countered.

“What’s the difference really?” Matt chuckled, earning a glare from Elisa. “Look, Elisa, I get that you don’t like being confined, neither do I! But if this, Bishop guy, is really as bad as he seems, I think I’m going to have to agree with Brooklyn on this one.”

Groaning with malcontent, Elisa turned back to Brooklyn. “I suppose you have something else to say about this?”

Brooklyn rolled his eyes endearingly. “I’m not telling you to stay put to torture you. Though, admittedly it is a little funny.” Narrowing her eyes, Elisa threw a punch at Brooklyn’s shoulder that he was easily able to dodge. “I’m telling you to stay put to keep you safe.”

“I know!” Elisa groaned again, tossing her head back. “But it’s _boring_!”

Brooklyn grinned, crossing his arms. “Now you know how I feel…”

“As _adorable_ as the two of you are when you flirt, it would be amazing if we could have a little silence.” Lex bantered, his hands on his hips.

“Sure thing, _mom_.” Brooklyn fired back, earning the middle finger. “You see what I have to deal with?”

Rolling her eyes, Elisa pulled out her notepad and wrote down all the information from the case Matt had relayed to her. “Here,” She started, tearing the paper from the pad. “This is all the information we have. The chase started after a group of armed individuals broke into a jeweler store, took half of the vault, then sped away after hitting three men in blue. All of them will survive, just minor injuries, but the NYPD has been tailing them ever since.”

“That sounds like the M.O. of the Purple Dragons.” Brooklyn turned to Leo at the sound of his voice. “I’m going with you.”

“Be sure you actually do what yer supposed to and don’t just run away ta make out.” Raph’s smirk was apparent in his tone, even before Leo turned an icy glare in his direction.

“If you want to come kick some purple dragon ass, all you needed to do was ask.” Leo chuffed at Raph’s pout of defeat, watching as the heat rose to his brother’s cheeks as the hot head refused to look at him. “I’ll take that as a yes…”

 

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Shots rang out through the downtown apartments of the lower end of Manhattan. Three more officers were already down, two with critical injuries and one who was not likely to pull through. Hun howled with joyous rolls of laugher as he emptied his fifth magazine into the NYPD squad car that had begun to catch up with them from the open back doors of the armored car he and his cronies were barreling down the streets in. The bullet-proof windows saved the two officers lives who occupied the vehicle, but the tires were not spared the same fate. Air shooting out from the pressurized rubber, the driver began to lose control, and fell back, barely managing to keep all four wheels on the ground.

“Who wants some more?!” Hun shouted, popping the empty magazine from his gun and reaching for another.

“I’ll take some.” A gruff voice responded, two legs swinging into Hun’s chest and knocking him back into the seats at the front of the vehicle. With a triumphant smirk, Raph set his hands on his hips and looked down on the leader of the Purple Dragons.

“You…” Hun growled, a hand resting over the area Raph’s feet had contacted his chest. “I am so sick of you _freaks_!” Reaching out, Hun grabbed the closest blunt object, and swung it out at Raph. The object happened to be a crowbar. Raph sidestepped, the wall of the car blocking his movement. The crowbar tore through the skin on Raph’s left shoulder, spinning out the back doors of the vehicle as Brooklyn hovered just behind. The gargoyle gasped, raising his right wing and dodging the metal bar hearing it whizzing past him.

“That’s one hell of an arm.” He stated, swooping down and landing inside the car. “Too bad we may have to rip it off you.”

“Guess you freaks got more freaks to back you up.” Hun growled, picking himself off the ground. Before either male could react, Hun launched himself at the two. Brooklyn grunted with the force, Hun’s arms wrapping around his waist as the two shot out of the back of the speeding vehicle. A howl of pain echoed out of Brooklyn’s chest as his back scraped against the unforgiving pavement, the stones embedded in the black tar ripping and tearing at his skin.

Tossing an arm behind himself, Brooklyn dug his talons into the ground, stopping the backwards momentum and saving his back from any more damage. With the sudden end of movement, Hun’s full weight landed on Brooklyn’s lithe form. Lifting a fist, Hun threw the full force of his strength into a punch aimed at Brooklyn’s throat.

Left arm still trapped under himself from their sudden halt, Brooklyn used his non-dominant, right arm to catch the punch. There was no question that Brooklyn was strong, but certainly not as strong as some members of his clan, and using his weaker, right arm, he was only able to keep Hun’s fist from colliding with his throat. The two struggled for a moment before Hun started to gain the upper hand and force Brooklyn’s arm down. Brooklyn growled, still struggling as Hun pushed his hand down onto his throat.

 

Leo leapt from roof to roof, following behind the truck as his brother launched himself inside the truck. He watched a Brooklyn dodged something that was thrown out of the vehicle before swooping in himself. There were a few beats of nothing before Brooklyn and Hun flew out of the truck. The leader continued to follow the truck for a moment, thinking Brooklyn would be okay, but he stopped short when Brooklyn’s howl of pain reached his ears. Skidding to a stop just before the edge of another roof, Leo watched the truck drive out of sight around a corner before he turned around to find Brooklyn.

 

Struggling to breathe, Brooklyn’s tail thrashed, trying to find a way to wrap itself around Hun’s arm and pry it off himself. Hun’s eyes shown with maniacal glee as he pressed down harder on Brooklyn’s throat. Stars began to dance across the red gargoyle’s vision, talons clawing into the back of Hun’s hand, but the crazy gang leader didn’t seem to mind as layer after layer of skin was torn open.

Suddenly, Brooklyn could breathe again. His torn up back arched off the ground as he gasped in lungfuls of air. Rolling over onto his side, Brooklyn rubbed at the forming bruise across his neck, coughing as he tried to find what had removed Hun from him.

Leo launched himself with practiced ease at Hun, wrapping his legs around the thug’s neck and twisting his body weight to pull Hun off of Brooklyn. Hand landing on the ground, Leo danced around the new center of gravity, hauling Hun over himself with his legs before letting go and tossing him away from the two. The resounding crash and cry of pain made Leo smirk as he looked up and made eye contact with an impressed Brooklyn.

“Are you okay?” Worry slithered its way into Leo’s tone and demeanor as he stood, quickly moving back over to Brooklyn’s side.

“Trust me, I’ve had worse.” Brooklyn stated, sitting up as Leo squat down next to him. Smiling, Brooklyn lifted a hand to run his fingers along Leo’s jaw. Leo returned the smile, leaning into the touch, Hun momentarily forgotten. “Guess we can scratch off one live-saving you owe me now.” Brooklyn hummed, Leo’s own hand coming up to grasp Brooklyn’s forearm.

“I guess so…”

“You freaks are gonna make me sick…” The two rolled their eyes, turning to face Hun again as they got to their feet. Hun, for his part, was bleeding profusely from his left arm, the appendage hanging limply at his side. Evidently the arm was broken. Road-rash laced across his neck and face and some of his hair had been pulled from his scalp, the strands now hanging from his pony-tail, loosely fluttering in the wind.

“Don’t you _ever_ stay down?” Leo asked, crossing his arms. “Every time you get up you just get hurt again.” Smirking at the fury in Hun’s eyes at the comment, Leo remained still as Hun began to charge.

Brooklyn, trusting Leo’s judgement, didn’t try to jump between the two. He watched as, at the last second, Leo brought his right leg up, straight into the air, and right into Hun’s jaw. The sudden impact snapped Hun’s head back, even as his body kept moving forward.

Using the residual momentum from his previous kick, Leo spun on his foot, easily switching legs and now using his left leg to come from behind and kick Hun in the _back_ of the head. His head now following his body’s momentum, Hun toppled forward, leaving small bits of flesh behind in the pavement as his face landed on the road before he flipped over, and landed on his back. The initial impact with the ground knocked Hun unconscious, and his body let out a groan, the aftermath of the residual air in his lungs being released.

“Fuck that’s impressive…” Brooklyn stated, looking down in awe at the mangled Hun.

“Considering he didn’t have me cornered this time, it worked out better in my favour.” Leo smirked, liking the admiration Brooklyn was giving him. Often martial arts turned into a contest between he and his brothers now, so Leo had almost forgotten what it felt like to be admired directly for his skills. Mikey still admired him to some extent, but certainly not to the level Brooklyn was right not.

“And I thought _I_ was a good fighter.” Brooklyn chuckled, placing a hand on his hip, a habit he had been unconsciously picking up from Elisa. (Though he didn’t cock out his hip like she did. He didn’t _quite_ have the hips for that.) “My self-esteem just flew out the window.” Leo laughed at the comment, turning to Brooklyn and catching a glimpse of his back.

“Oh my God!” He exclaimed, grabbing Brooklyn’s arm and making the gargoyle blink at him for a moment. “That’s _really_ bad, Brook!” Under other circumstances, Brooklyn may have blushed at hearing Leo use his despised nickname. However, Brooklyn was more concerned with keeping Leo’s blood pressure down.

“It’s nothing, really!” Brooklyn stated hastily, turning so Leo couldn’t see his back. “I’ll heal just fine at sunrise.”

“Brook, it could get _really_ infected by then! Dawn is hours away right now, and there’s all _sorts_ of debris from the road embedded in those wounds! We have to clean them out!”

Before Brooklyn could respond, a crash resounded from a few blocks away. Smoke billowed up between buildings, and Leo’s heart dropped into his gut.

“Raph…” He whispered before taking off in the direction he had last seen his brother moving in. Brooklyn followed quickly behind, both making ground fast, turning a corner and seeing the mangled and burning wreckage of, what had once been, the armored car. “Raph?!” Leo called, panic filling his chest as he looked around wildly for his brother. “Raphael?!”

Jogging from around the corner behind the two, Raph held his arms out in a confused and concerned gesture. “What?”

All the air escaping his lungs in a rush, almost sounding like a sob, Leo tossed his head back after he turned around. “Don’t _do_ that! You scared the shell outta me!”

Raph only smirked, looking over at the wreckage. “Mah, I was _long_ outta there before it crashed. Pretty gnarly work there though…”

“Where are the Purple Dragons?” Brooklyn asked, eyeing the wreckage.

“Oh, don’t worry. They’ll be having _lots_ a fun in jail. Got ‘em tied up ‘round the corner.” Raph stated, jabbing a thumb behind himself for emphasis.

Sirens wailed in the distance. “You two should get to a rooftop. I’ll talk with the boys in blue and make sure they get everyone and let them know what happened.”

It was only then that Raph saw the gargoyle’s injuries.

“Holy fuck dude! Those’ll leave some _gnarly_ scars!” Raph marveled, leaning forward to get a closer look.

“But Leo _insisted_ they need to be cleaned…” Brooklyn grumbled, crossing his arms, reminding Leo of a petulant child.

“Oh, I see, you bleed and Leo’s all up in arms, I bleed,” Raph smirked, gesturing to the blood still running down his arm from the crowbar Hun had spun at him. “And he doesn’t say a thing.”

“Raph, when are you ever _not_ bleeding?” Leo asked, cocking his head.

“Alright… That’s a fair point.”


End file.
